The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is participating in Operation Pill Drop, a statewide initiative that encourages citizens to properly dispose of unwanted prescription medication.

The operation will run from Sunday, October 16th through Saturday, November 12th, with the goal of taking unwanted prescription medications out of households that could otherwise be potentially dangerous from accidental or intentional misuse by children or adults. The operation also aims to provide an environmentally safe alternative to medication disposal.

The sheriff's office offers two locations for medication drop-off including the Criminal Justice Center, 2071 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, which is open 24-hours a day; and the south county office, 4531 State Road 776, Venice, where the hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Prescription and over-the-counter solid dosage medication such as tablets and capsules are accepted. Liquids and needles will not qualify. While boxes at each location are available to the public year-round, the sheriff's office will participate in the statewide turn-in initiative to publicize the permanent option for proper disposal. Medication turn-in is always anonymous.

"This is a great opportunity for parents to clean out their medicine cabinets," said Sheriff Tom Knight. "Unfortunately, because prescription medications are most commonly abused by young teens, parents must stay cognizant and use every opportunity to safeguard and protect their children from the dangers of drug abuse."