Police in Tennessee are warning residents not to flush their drugs down the toilet. The warning was issued by the Loretto Police Department, which is about 95 miles south of Nashville, after investigators said they recently caught someone “attempting to flush methamphetamine along with several items of paraphernalia” down the toilet.
The police department advised against disposing of any and all drugs by flushing them because “when you send something down the sewer pipe it ends up in our retention ponds for processing before it is sent down stream.” They added:
“Our sewer guys take great pride in releasing water that is cleaner than what is in the creek, but they are not really prepared for meth.”1
RELATED STORY:
Besides alligators, it is important to remember all the animals that live in the water, including frogs, fish, ducks, and geese. It is troubling to imagine how meth (or ANY toxin) in the water might adversely affect the habitat that these beautiful creatures call home.
And let’s not forget about the innocent babies that are born to parents addicted to meth, in fact, and estimated 19,000 meth users are pregnant women. Sad.
The water in Loretto heads downstream towards Alabama. Officials warned that if drugs from their town traveled far enough:
“…it would create meth-gators in Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River down in North Alabama.”
“They’ve had enough methed up animals the past few weeks without our help. So, if you need to dispose of your drugs just give us a call and we will make sure they are disposed of in the proper way.”1
RELATED STORY:
Unfortunately, no matter the method of disposal, unused pharmaceuticals run the risk of harming the environment. In 2018, Americans filled a record 5.8 billion prescriptions — that is 17.6 prescriptions per person — up 2.7% over 2017. It is worth noting that opioid prescriptions went down considerably in 2017.
In fact, more than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world. A vast array of pharmaceuticals—including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones—have been identified in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.
RELATED STORY:
The cheapest and easiest way to limit pharmaceutical contamination is to keep drugs from entering our waterways in the first place. Drug take back programs, education on proper drug disposal, and regulations to limit large-scale medication flushing at hospitals and nursing facilities are crucial first steps that can greatly reduce the amount of toxins entering our waterways.
Sadly, the FDA still recommends flushing of certain potentially dangerous medicines. Wouldn’t it be nice to see them pushing for less prescriptions being written instead? (One can dream…) You can view their recommendations for drug dispsal here.
