Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Media and Community Education Division
Partnering Law Enforcement Agencies:
St. Petersburg Police Department
Pinellas Park Police Department
Clearwater Police Department
Kenneth City Police Department
In conjunction with:
DEA
National Family Partnership
LiveFree! Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Of Pinellas
Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education (N.O.P.E.) of Pinellas
Operation PAR
Poison HELP Line
Partnering OMC Drop Off Sites:
Westfield Countryside Mall
What:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is set for its eleventh installment of “Operation Medicine Cabinet.” The event is being held in conjunction with DEAs National Take Back Day.
The event is an opportunity for citizens to safely discard unused or expired prescription medications; and is a multi-agency effort aimed at addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse and keeping a clean environment.
Operation Medicine Cabinet events began in May 2009 and have been held semi-annually. The OMC events, along with OMC’s permanent drop-off containers within the community, have collected 18,111.5 pounds of medications to date.
When:
The event is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday on April 26, 2014.
Where:
South County Locations:
-St. Petersburg Police Department
1300 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg Police Department Lobby)
-St. Pete Beach Rec Center
7701 Boca Ciega Drive, St. Pete Beach (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
-Kenneth City Police Department
-4600 58th Street North, Kenneth City (Kenneth City Police Department)
Mid County Locations:
-Pinellas Park Police Department
7700 59th Street North, Pinellas Park (Pinellas Park Police Department)
-Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff’s Admin Building – front lot)
10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo
North County Locations:
-Westfield Countryside Mall (between LA Fitness & JC Penney’s)
27001 US Hwy 19 N., Clearwater (Clearwater Police Department)
-Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (North District Station – front parking lot)
737 Louden Ave., Dunedin (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
Why/How:
Citizens are invited to stop by any one of the 7 locations during the designated times to drop off their unused and expired prescription medications for safe collection and disposal – no questions asked.
Operation Medicine Cabinet is designed to educate the public and raise awareness about the problem of prescription drugs abuse. The problem has reached epidemic proportions, with prescription drugs as the number one abused drug in the United States, surpassing all other illicit drugs.
Please be aware that no bio-hazards or needles will be accepted and that the program is intended for private citizens of Pinellas County and not for commercial use.
As a reminder, drop off sites are not located inside the stores (Westfield) but in the parking lot area. Residents should look for a law enforcement presence at each of the selected drop-off sites.
Also, please be aware that the drop-off containers inside the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Central Station (Largo) and North District Station (Dunedin) will be temporarily closed during the county wide event.
For further information, please contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Office at 727-582-6221.