Question: I thought I read a while ago that there was going to be a prescription drug drop-off sometime in October. Would you know when and where that might be? Also, are there any permanent locations where unwanted drugs can be dropped off at any time? I have a gallon-sized Ziploc bag of my mom’s medication, and since she passed away, I was wondering what to do with these.
Answer: Yes, the National Take-Back Initiative is scheduled for Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 10 locations statewide, including five on Oahu. Most collection sites are drive-thrus, making it easy to drop off expired or unneeded prescription drugs, which prevents them from being misused or mishandled, according to a news release from the state Department of the Attorney General. This disposal service “is free and anonymous — no questions asked,” it said. Here are the locations:
Oahu
>> Kailua fire station parking lot, 211 Kuulei Road
>> State Capitol drive-thru along Beretania, 415 S. Beretania Street
>> Pearl City police station parking lot, 1100 Waimano Home Road
>> Kahala Mall parking lot near corner of Kilauea and Waialae avenues
>> Leilehua Golf Course parking lot, 199 Leilehua Road
Hawaii island
>> Kailua-Kona police station inside lobby, 74-611 Hale Makai Place
>> Ka Waena Lapa‘au Medical Complex, upper parking lot at corner of Ponahawai and Komohana streets in Hilo
Kauai
>> Kauai Police Department parking lot, 3990 Kaana St., Lihue
Maui
>> Wailuku police station parking lot, 55 Mahalani St.
>> Kihei police station parking lot, 2201 Piilani Highway
All forms of prescription medication will be accepted (pills, capsules, liquids, etc.), as well as vaping devices from which the batteries have been removed, the news release said. However, needles and syringes will not be accepted, regardless of whether they are new or used. People in Hawaii and Guam have disposed of more than 60,000 pounds of prescription drugs at NTBI events since 2010, it said.
As for your second question, yes, there are permanent disposal sites around the islands, including at some CVS/Longs pharmacies. Possible sites are listed at hawaiiopioid.org/ drug-take-back/.
Q: Did they mail out 20,000 rebate checks Friday as planned?
A: Yes, and mailings this size will continue each weekday (except holidays) until all scheduled Act 115 rebate checks are disbursed, said Nicki Ann Thompson, taxation services administrator for the state Department of Taxation. Before the first increment of 20,000 was mailed Friday, the state had about 300,000 checks scheduled for mailing.
Q: Last Sunday I spent the entire morning close to the beginning of the rail in East Kapolei. For the entire time, a four-car train traveled up and down the track. The entire morning! Was this some type of test or just a waste of energy?
A: Honolulu’s rail system has been in its “trial running” phase since the end of August, testing all aspects of the trains, stations, systems and operating personnel, including in simulated crisis scenarios, according to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Testing may occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the elevated guideway between the East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium stations, according to the HART website. The schedule and number of trains involved varies according to the testing scenario. For example, on Saturday HART and Hitachi Rail Honolulu were scheduled to run an emergency training exercise with first responders between the East Kapolei and UH-West Oahu stations from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The comprehensive testing phase “will continue until the system achieves operational readiness status before the transfer of the system to the City Department of Transportation Services for the initial launch of passenger service,” HART says.
The public is warned to avoid the rail tracks, as the deadly “third rail,” carrying over 750 volts of electricity, is energized 24/7. Read more at honolulutransit.org.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
