HONOLULU — Lieutenant Governor Doug Chin announced Monday, with members of state, county and federal agencies, a major statewide collaboration to ensure a more convenient way for the public to drop off unused prescription drugs at designated police stations across the state.
The Hawaii Medication Drop Box Program is a public health and public safety partnership between the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Health, Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Hawaii, Maui, Honolulu, and Kauai Police Departments. After several meetings, the roles and responsibilities of these departments have been determined, with a cooperative understanding, to implement and sustain the Drop Box Program by utilizing federal, state, and county resources.
“This is a game-changer for a serious public health issue,” said Lt. Gov. Chin. “We’re being proactive and making it easier to remove dangerous drugs from our homes, schools and streets 365 days a year.”
The Hawaii Medication Drop Box Program will supplement, not replace the national drug take back events that state and federal law enforcement plan to continue twice a year. From 2010 to 2017, nearly 30,500 pounds of prescription drugs were collected here at previous events and disposed of safely.
In 2017, Gov. David Ige convened a statewide Opioid Initiative to prevent experiencing the alarming rate of opioid-related overdoses and deaths as seen in other states. The multi-agency collaboration resulted in an action plan, which included implementing a Medication Drop Box Program with the help of police departments in every county.
Maui Police already received six drop boxes while Kauai Police got three and Hawaii Police received eight. Every steel drop box will be bolted into place and accessible to the public.
“A medication drop box provides a way for the public to safely dispose of unused prescription medications all year long, and further prevents the misuse and abuse of these drugs,” said Kauai Acting Police Chief Michael Contrades. “The Kauai Police Department is pleased to provide this medication drop box for our community, which is located at police headquarters in Lihue.”
Each drop box is made of 14-gauge powder-coated steel and weighs 150 pounds. They measure 61 inches tall, 21.5 inches wide and 22 inches deep.
