On Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Hopewell Township Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to get rid of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring pills for disposal to the Hopewell Township Police Department at 201 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 350 tons (more than 702,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. In10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 5.5 million pounds of pills.
Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that time-worn methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Contact the police department at 609-737-3100 for information or with any questions.
