BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — BVCASA is looking for a new College Station location for a drug drop box.
Those who know what these boxes mean for their communities are hoping to find one soon.
Prescription drug use and overdose rates have increased dramatically in the last 10 years.
For years, Brazos County has been home to two drug drop boxes covering both ends of the community.
“The box is for people to come in and get rid of their medications that are expired or they’re excessive,” said Bill Roberts, the recently-retired Coalition Coordinator for BVCASA.
One drop box has been at the College Station Fire Department, and the other has been at the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office.
However, the fire department has to give theirs up.
“The license that they had to handle donated drugs had ended," Roberts said, "and they were not going to renew their license due to some complication.”
BVCASA is now on the search for another location to cover the community, and it’s not just for convenience sake.
“Drug drop off locations are critical for prevention. What they do is they interrupt the middle stages of access to prescription drugs,” said Paul Cassidy, the Senior Vice President of Symetria Recovery in College Station.
Paul Cassidy works with people struggling with addiction and says if someone is developing a drug problem, their doctors might cut them off.
That often causes them to look for other sources like a family member’s medicine cabinet.
“A lot of times, a lot of adolescent’s first drug experiences is something they got from a loved ones medicine cabinet,” said Cassidy.
He hopes once a new home for the drop box is found that it’s one people feel okay going to.
“Having the only place to dispose of unused medications being the sheriff’s office, a lot of times, people might be a little hesitant to bring drugs," he said, "so I think it’s important to have places other than law enforcement for people to dispose of unused medication.”