SMETHPORT — More than 113 pounds of unused medication was disposed of in drop boxes around the county in the last quarter of 2024, McKean County’s top prosecutor said.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said boxes located at the City of Bradford Police Department, Kane Borough Police Department and Sheriff’s Department (located inside the jail) were collected on Jan. 7, by the county detectives.
From Bradford City, a total of 85.5 pounds of medication were collected. From Kane, 13 pounds were collected, and from the sheriff’s office, 15 pounds were collected, for a total of 113.5 pounds.
Other boxes are available at the Bradford Township Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police-Lewis Run Barracks. The county detectives with the district attorney’s office collect the medication from the county’s boxes, and then the medication is collected by members of the National Guard and Attorney General’s Office for destruction.
The boxes are important because it allows everyone to get rid of their unused medication to keep it out of the hands of those other than to those for whom it was prescribed. Before the installation of the boxes, community members had to wait for annual drop-off days. But unused medication getting in the hands of others is often seen as one avenue that leads to drug abuse, so the constant availability of the boxes is very beneficial, Shaffer said.
The boxes were sponsored by the District Attorney’s Association and PA American Water Company.
If you suspect illegal drug activity, call the McKean County Drug Task Force at (814) 887-3312 or McKeanDA.org.
