Drug drop box open in Winfield

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — Anyone with expired or unused prescription medication can now safely dispose of it at any time at the Winfield Police Department.
The Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center and the Winfield City Police Department teamed up to host a drug takeback on Thursday morning, March 21.
People who brought in their expired or unneeded medications had the opportunity to win gift cards.
But even though the event was for one day only, the box remains in place 24-7 for anyone who needs to dispose of old medications.
The box is located inside the first set of doors leading into the lobby of the police station, located at 700 Rock Ridge Road.
Northwest Mental Health Center prevention specialist Charity Cook said that getting rid of old medication can go a long way toward combating addiction and other issues.
“The reason that we do this is because we don’t want people to have medicine sitting around in their houses and becoming an unintentional dealer for people who struggle with addiction problems and may take medicine that isn’t theirs,” Cook said. “Another reason is because we don’t want it to get into the water system when it shouldn’t.”