By Kevin Wheatley of CN/2

FRANKFORT — Kentucky health and law enforcement officials are partnering with a pharmaceutical group to spread the word about disposing unused medications.

MyOldMeds Kentucky, unveiled Tuesday at a Capitol press conference, is an effort involving the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Cabinet for Justice and Public Safety, Kentucky State Police and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Tuesday’s launch comes days before Saturday’s prescription drug disposal day at state police posts across Kentucky, and Office of Drug Control Policy Executive Director Van Ingram says MyOldMeds will dovetail with the state’s efforts to collect and discard expired and unused medications as it grapples with continual opiate addiction problems.

There are currently 198 collection sites throughout Kentucky, he said.

“It’s great that we’ve got the disposal units, but we’ve got to keep reminding people all the time that they’re out there, and we’ve got to keep reminding people all the time of the risks of these medications and how careful we need to be with them,” Ingram said.

The awareness campaign will feature digital advertising and a Kentucky-specific website featuring tips on how to dispose of unused prescription pills in your home, locations for drop-off sites, drug abuse information and more.

“We know there’s not one single silver bullet to solving this problem,” said Kipp Snyder, vice president of state advocacy for PhRMA.

“It can’t be solved by any one person or family or company or government agency or law enforcement official alone, but it’s clear that we can all work together positively to try to find meaningful solutions.”