County Tackles Prescription Drug Abuse With Medicine Drop Boxes

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. - April 25, 2013 - PRLog -- NCADD of Middlesex County, Inc. is pleased to announce that the “Project Medicine Drop” project now has three locations in Middlesex County.
The initiative allows citizens to safely dispose of their unused prescription medications in secure receptacles at law enforcement stations in East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Sayreville. The three police departments that have agreed to host the medicine drop boxes will maintain custody of the deposited drugs and dispose of them according to their normal procedures for the custody and destruction of controlled dangerous substances. They will report the quantity of discarded drugs to the Division of Consumer Affairs on a quarterly basis.Members of the public are urged to use the Project Medicine Drop sites 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year to dispose of their unused and expired prescription medications. The boxes enable consumers to drop off their unused or excess medications safely and securely.
The three Middlesex County locations include:

East Brunswick Police Department
1 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
(732) 390-6917

Perth Amboy Police Department,
365 New Brunswick Avenue
Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
732-442-4400

Sayreville Police Department,
1000 Main Street
Sayreville, NJ 08872
732-727-4444

The program helps keep prescription drugs from falling into the hands of those who might make them available for abuse and prevents them from being flushed into the water supply or thrown into the trash, where they could contaminate the environment.The drop boxes accept solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, and pet medications. They cannot accept syringes or liquids.
“We are very pleased that three Middlesex County municipalities have taken this extra step to prevent the misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications,” said NCADD Executive Director Steven Liga. “These local efforts will go a long way towards helping to keep unused or expired medication out of our youth’s hands.”

At the dedication of the Perth Amboy drop box, Mayor Wilda Diaz stated “Through the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign we provide many health and wellness programs for our residents. Project Medicine Drop is right in line with these initiatives in continuing to keeping our families and children safe and healthy.”

Project Medicine Drop is one component of the Division of Consumer Affairs’ comprehensive effort to halt the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs. Project Medicine Drop is inspired by the success of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative. The next DEA-sponsored Take Back Day will be held this Saturday, April 27th. Project Medicine Drop, however, enables consumers to dispose of unused medications at any time throughout the year.

The effort also includes the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program, a statewide database that tracks prescription data on Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS) and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) medications dispensed in New Jersey. The effort further includes enhanced enforcement initiatives, including a comprehensive reorganization of the Division’s Enforcement Bureau to focus on drug diversion investigations and indiscriminate prescribing by healthcare practitioners. Finally, it also includes strategies to reduce the supply of drugs available for abuse, and greater public awareness efforts.

There are 34 additional drop box locations throughout the rest of New Jersey. To find a location outside of Middlesex County, please go to www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/meddrop/locations.htm

About NCADD of Middlesex County

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) of Middlesex County, Inc. is a private, non-profit health education organization.  Established in 1980, NCADD is recognized as the leading resource in Middlesex County for information, education and prevention services on alcohol and drug abuse.  Services include: the Jason Surks Memorial Prevention Resource Center, information and referral help line, training, community education programs, early childhood prevention programs Footprints for Life™ and Forest Friends, advocacy for alcoholics and other drug dependent persons and their families, and public awareness campaigns. Additional information is available at www.ncadd-middlesex.org.