Clackamas County DA tries new approach to fighting opioid crisis with free drug-deactivation kits
The Clackamas County Fair this week is packed with family-friendly events and activities. Fairgoers throw darts, lick ice cream cones, ride camels around a dusty ring.
Amid the excitement, a small, quiet booth is family-friendly in a different way. Its staffers are handing out blue-and-black biodegradable pouches called Deterra.
The pouches help people keep unused prescription pills away from anyone who shouldn’t have them by deactivating the drugs.
“Our goal is to offer an alternative to other approaches being tried in other communities, specifically to rid our streets of opioids,” District Attorney John Wentworth said in a phone interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We’re hopeful that these products are one solution.”
Deterra safely deactivates drugs, Wentworth said. You simply add water to the packet of carbon that comes in the pouch; then you drop unwanted drugs inside the packet, seal the bag and give it a gentle shake.
When the carbon binds to the medication, the drugs are rendered permanently useless, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Opioid abuse has become a national crisis over the past few decades. The number of opioid-related deaths nationally in 2021 was 10 times the number in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Clackamas County, hospitalizations involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids more than doubled from 2020 to 2021, according to the county’s public health website.
“It’s really scary,” said Susan Ziolko, of Oregon City, when she stopped at the DA’s booth at the fair. “As much as there’s publicity, I don’t think people realize how bad it is. I thought I’d come by, grab one and check the expiration dates in my closet.”
So far, the county has purchased $30,000 dollars worth of the Deterra pouches, Wentworth said.
“This has been received very well by the community,” he said. “We’re going to be looking for different distribution methods to make sure this product is available to anyone who wants it.”
He added: “It’s not the end-all be-all, but we’re looking for every little step we can take to create a safer community, and hopefully save lives in the process.”