Clackamas County has kicked off a campaign to tackle its escalating overdose deaths, offering residents a way to safely dispose of unwanted medications. The solution? Free Deterra medication disposal pouches, now available across the county at 20 spots for the taking. The county health gurus are distributing these pouches like candy at Halloween, hoping to snuff out the chance of drugs landing in the wrong hands—or the local rivers and streams.
"When you keep unused drugs in your home, they may be taken by people who shouldn't take them—including children," said Dr. Sarah Present in a statement obtained by the Clackamas County, speaking of the risk of having these meds in household medicine cabinets. Drug-induced deaths in the county have rocketed by a staggering 109% from 2019 through 2022, a grim scoreboard that local officials are desperate to reset.
It's not just about preventing a tragedy in the home; this is also about environmental protection. Those at the helm of Clackamas Water Environment Services, like Director Greg Geist, are pushing the message that we should keep our toilets drug-free. Fish don't need a dose of our leftover meds, and frankly, our wastewater plants aren't cut out for the job of removing them from our waterways. Using these little pouches keeps drugs away from aquatic hitchhikers and prevents them from cycling back to us through nature's loop.
Last summer, as the sun blistered the Clackamas County fairgrounds, District Attorney John Wentworth was dishing out Deterra pouches with the ease of a carnival game booth. Wentworth said, "These Deterra pouches really go a long way in offering an alternative to other approaches being tried in other communities, specifically to rid our streets of opioids." He's betting his bottom dollar that these pouches will come out swinging in the fight against the opioid crisis, eyeing the broader goal of painting the town safer, according to the Clackamas County.
But the Deterra pouches aren't picky—besides a few exceptions like antiacids and lithium, they'll take most drugs you throw at them, narcotic or not. They chew 'em up and spit 'em out inert, kind of like a magical garbage disposal for anything from pills and patches to bad decisions. Even illicit substances, like the notorious fentanyl, can be deactivated. All it takes is a little water and a jiggle before your trash can turns into a drug-free zone.
You might wonder about the proper disposal dance. The county has made it simple: Drop the drugs in, fill it up with water halfway, seal it, give it a shake for good measure, and trash it. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, problem solved. With Clackamas residents now equipped to clean house the right way, officials are crossing their fingers and hoping for a healthier, safer community going forward. For more information on where to snag these pouches, check it out here.
