KEYPORT – Municipal officials have implemented a Project Medicine Drop box at Borough Hall in response to an ongoing effort to conquer New Jersey’s opioid crisis.
The drop box is part of Keyport’s anti-addiction initiative led by Councilwoman Sophia Lamberson and Police Chief Mark Hafner, according to a press release from the borough.
In accordance with the statewide endeavor, Project Medicine Drop, the installation of a medicine disposal site acts as a safe and anonymous means for disregarding unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs, according to press release.
“We must confront opiate and heroin addiction wherever we find it,” Lamberson said. “All too often, leftover prescription drugs that are hidden in the back of our medicine cabinet can become a gateway to addiction, if they fall into the wrong hands.”
Borough Hall is located at 70 W. Front St.
According to the Drug Policy Alliance, drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey.
“Project Medicine Drop makes it easier for members of our community to join the fight against opiate and heroin abuse, which often begins at home with the illicit abuse of prescription drugs,” Hafner said.
According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Project Medicine Drop provides residents with the opportunity to discard unused prescription medications every day. Participating police agencies maintain custody of the deposited drugs and dispose of them according to their normal procedures.
The drop box at Borough Hall is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the borough.
Within the last decade, it was reported there has been a 700 percent rise in admissions to drug treatment programs. The rate of heroin overdoses in New Jersey accounts for three times that of the national average, according to New Jersey Public Media.
Since being sworn into office in January, Gov. Phil Murphy has outlined his public health plan that includes $100 million from his Fiscal Year 2019 budget to address the opioid crisis in New Jersey, according to the governor’s website.
For more information, visit http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov.