BUTTE — Butte community leaders are asking the public to safely throw away unused prescription medication that may still be in their houses.
Father Patrick Beretta and others want people to dispose of their medications in special bins located at the Butte Sheriff's Office and the Southwest Montana Community Health Center.
He says children and teens often steal these medications which can lead to addiction or accidental overdose. Beretta said it is easy for someone to forget they have unused prescription medication in their home.
“I had forgotten I had it, I only used half of one and it was so powerful it scared me and I stopped using it, but I didn't get rid of it. So it reminded me that we have very, very dangerous prescription medication in our homes,” said Beretta.
People are also asked not to flush their medication because it can get into the groundwater and negatively affect the environment. Law enforcement safely incinerates the dropped-off medication.
