Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Bessemer — Used drug collection containers across the Gogebic Range have worked so well that they have created a problem in storing all the pills and medications being turned in for disposal.
The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday agreed to send letters to legislators pointing out the extent of the problem here and seeking some assistance. Commissioners instructed county clerk Gerry Pelissero to draw up a letter to be sent to legislators.
Gogebic County Sheriff Pete Matonich told the board he has around 400 pounds of pills stockpiled from the containers.
The Ironwood Public Safety Department suspended its collection site because unauthorized items, like used syringes, were being deposited in the bin there.
Range Suicide Prevention Council President Pat Gallinagh on March 13 wrote to the county board, enclosing a copy of a letter he had sent to Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow about the drug disposal problem.
Gallinagh has suggested a letter-writing campaign to address the issue, to leaders in both Michigan and Wisconsin.
Gallinagh said in his letter to Stabenow that the leading method women use to attempt suicide is overdosing on prescription drugs.
Gallinagh notes the RSPC has provided eight prescription drug disposal bins throughout the area.
“These disposal boxes have received so much use that disposing of these unused, unneeded or outdated drugs has become a problem for our local units of government. We are hopeful that you could introduce legislation that would require the major drug chains and drug manufacturers to take ownership of the problem they helped create,” Gallinagh wrote.
He notes there are disposal bins in Mercer, Hurley, two in Ontonagon County and four for law enforcement agencies, including one in Watersmeet.
The bins are secured so no one can steal drugs out of them.
The county board learned companies are charging big dollars to dispose of the used pills and the medications shouldn’t be burned.
Commissioner Tom Laabs, of Ironwood, noted another reason the disposal bins were put into place was so people wouldn’t flush their pills down the toilet, creating pollution of water sources, and he hopes they won’t revert to that practice.
Gallinagh said he specifically tried to get a collection bin placed at Walgreen’s in Ironwood and the manager at first agreed, but then said his bosses wouldn’t allow it.
The RSPC had ordered a collection bin to be placed at the store, Gallinagh said, but then learned it couldn’t be used.
“Needless to say, we were dumbfounded. Here was the perfect place to have a drug disposal box and the company wouldn’t allow it,” Gallinagh wrote.
He said the bin is now at the Michigan State Police Post in Wakefield.
Gallinagh said unused or outdated drugs sitting in cabinets are “ticking time bombs” that could be used in suicide attempts or by “thrill-seeking teenagers.”
He suggests as a possible resolution to the problem charging a small container fee to help cover costs of disposal.
The county board also discussed sending a copy of its letter to the Michigan Association of Counties.
Referring to the drug collection effort, Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer, county board chair, said, “We need to keep the program active.”
