Brookfield Police Want Your Unused Prescriptions

BROOKFIELD, WI — Overdose deaths are rising in Wisconsin and across the U.S. To stymie the spread of narcotics and fight drug addictions, law enforcement is holding an event to collect unwanted prescription medications.

On Saturday, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held across the U.S.

Brookfield residents can drop off their unwanted prescriptions:

• Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, 515 W Moreland Blvd, Drop Box only M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Town of Brookfield Police Department, 655 N Janacek Rd., Drop box only M-F. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Participants can dispose of tablets, capsules and other solid forms of prescriptions at the event. Liquids, syringes and other illegal drugs will not be accepted. Vaping devices will be accepted if the accompanying lithium battery has been removed.

Can't make it? Find a collection site near you using the DEA site locator: Take Back Day (dea.gov).

Opioid overdose deaths spiked during the pandemic, the DEA reported. Many drug addictions begin with prescriptions. Some 83,544 Americans died between July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was the most overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period.

The increase in overdoses began before the pandemic but accelerated sharply in the first few months of COVID-19's spread. Many people battling addiction abused prescriptions taken from family and friends, so clearing out the medicine cabinet is essential, the DEA said.