The Monroe Township Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) invite members of the public to drop off their unused, unwanted and expired prescription medications 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 30 at the Monroe Police Department, 3 Municipal Plaza, as part of national Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The event will offer residents an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs (pills or patches). The service is free of charge and anonymous; no questions will be asked. Needles and sharps will not be accepted.
The initiative addresses a public-safety and public-health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription-drug abuse in the United States are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends and from the home medicine cabinet. Americans are advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information, log on to www.dea.gov.