By Jennifer Larkin, Special Writer
Police are partnering with federal officials to help dispose of unneeded prescription medications tomorrow.
Residents are asked to bring unused or expired medications to police headquarters on Route 522 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, according to a press release from police Monday.
Police are asking residents to make sure that liquid products, such as cough medicines, should be left, sealed in its original container, with the cap tightly closed to prevent leaking, according to the release.
Police said syringes and other sharp objects are not accepted.
Other medicines may be placed in the drug disposal box in its original container or separately, according to police.
According to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, more than 276 tons of unneeded prescription drugs were anonymously turned in last April at almost 10,000 federal and local sites nationwide.
The DEA initiative addresses what they term as a “vital public safety and public health issue.”
According to the agency, unneeded medicines in homes throughout the country may be misused or abused by those whom the drugs were not intended for.
The rate of prescription drug abuse, including accidental poisonings and overdoses, has become “alarmingly high,” according to the agency.
According to the press release, most of these drugs that are being abused unknowingly come from family, friends, and the home medicine cabinet.
The usual methods of disposing unwanted medications, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, can both cause safety and health hazards, according to the agency.

