Eagan Drug Dropoff Program Collects 84 Pounds of Medication in First Month

Cough medicine, prescription pills, even pet medications.

That's just a small sample of the items collected by the Eagan Police Department as part of the department's new drug dropoff program, which debuted on March 21.

In the program's first month of operations, police spokesperson Desiree Schroepfer and Deputy Chief Jeff Johnson said the department has collected 84 pounds of discarded medications from local residents.

'I’m quite frankly surprised by how much were’ collecting," Johnson said. "It’s a little bit of eeverything as far as medications go. A lot of what I’m seeing is prescriptions and some over-the-counter stuff, even cough medicine, Tylenol and Advil that might be expired, even pet medications."

As part of the program, operated in partnership with Dakota County, police installed a secure dropbox, located in the Eagan Police Department lobby, that allows citizens to anonymously dispose of waste pharmaceuticals, illicit substances and other unused medications free of charge.

Police don't inventory the items, but do check each box to make sure no forbidden items, like needles, were deposited. The items are eventually transported to an incinerator for disposal.

Police say the program keeps pharmaceuticals out of the water system—and reduces the risk of abuse.

“I think you often find people experimenting with prescription medication, not necessarily opiates, but I think they have a tendency to experiment and see what makes them high," Schroepfer said.