Medicine Drop Box

A medicine dropbox is located in the lobby of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office administrative building for the public to bring in unused or expired medications with no questions asked. It is provided by , a non-profit organization established in North Carolina in 2008 in response to high overdose rates. The dropbox is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a. m. and 5 p. m.

Properly disposing of medications will prevent harm and in some cases, fatality, due to accidental ingestion by children, teens, and pets. Also, it will prevent medications from being retrieved and abused or illegally sold. Do not flush medications, pour them down the drain or throw them in the trash as this poses a threat to our environment and water systems.

Prescriptions, vitamins, cough syrup, rain relievers, topical ointments, cold and flu medications, and other over-the-counter medications, as well as pet medications, are all accepted at the dropboxes. Needles and syringes are not accepted.

Remember these guidelines for medication safety:

• Take medications correctly according to instructions
• Store medications safely away from children, teens, and pets
• Dispose of unused or expired medications properly
• Never share your medications

Vidant Duplin Hospital is in the process of obtaining more medicine dropboxes through Project Lazarus to be placed throughout the county. Currently, Duplin County has one other dropbox located in the lobby of Beulaville Town Hall.