Burn baby burn: Prescription drugs go up in smoke

West Virginia State Police now have five mobile incinerators troopers can use to burn unused prescription drugs. One of them was used Tuesday afternoon outside the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, State Police Lt. Michael Baylous and Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese were on hand to help destroy drugs collected in Putnam County.

“It’s one thing to collect them and get them out of people’s medicine cabinets, but you also have to have a way to dispose of them properly in an environmentally sound manner,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said 2-and-a-half tons of unused pills were collected last Saturday in West Virginia as part of the ninth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The five mobile incinerators will be stationed across the state. Goodwin said there’s going to be a need weekly to burn up unused drugs because more and more counties are going to drop-boxes that are available almost all the time.

“We’re seeing these drop-boxes pop up all over southern West Virginia, probably all over the state, and that’s probably only going to increase. That being said, we can’t let up,” Goodwin said.


The U.S. attorney said disposing of unused drugs in a toilet or in your personal trash can be dangerous.