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Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

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With increase in overdoses, Hamilton County Coalition launches free drug lockbox program

This July 6, 2017 file photo shows prescription drugs displayed in a glass flask (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
This July 6, 2017 file photo shows prescription drugs displayed in a glass flask (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) This July 6, 2017 file photo shows prescription drugs displayed in a glass flask (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

The Hamilton County Coalition is giving out more than 1,000 medication lockboxes and drug deactivation pouches for free.

Camilla Bibbs-Lee, executive director of the coalition, said handing out the lockboxes is part of an effort to keep people safe as they spend more time at home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The program is funded through a grant with Tennessee’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

“In this time where a lot of families, especially children and young adults, are around the home more, it’s common for people to be accidental drug dealers,” Bibbs-Lee said in a statement. “Our goal is to have lockboxes and deactivation pouches in as many homes as possible to keep medications safe from people it’s not meant for, and to have unused or expired medications properly disposed of.”

The coalition is giving out Helix Prescription Drug Security Cabinets, which include two keys, and the Deterra Drug Deactivation System, a pouch with which to dispose of unused medications.

(READ MORE: Chattanooga area recovery groups adapt to new normal amid coronavirus outbreak)