Disposal bags help in the battle against drug abuse

Opioid overdoses have spiked over the past couple of years, in Minnesota and the United States, due to the pandemic’s burdens combined with increased availability of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin. A Minnetonka-based company is handing out a product that could potentially reduce opioid abuse at the place it often begins — the family medicine cabinet.

Verde Environmental Technologies is partnering with the national nonprofit SAFE Project on the national Gone for Good campaign. Throughout April, they’ll be giving away 30,000 Deterra drug-disposal pouches, which use activated charcoal and tap water to render leftover drugs inert. We spoke to Verde CEO Jason Sundby about the campaign — and what is at stake.