Cumberland County, NJ – 912,000, that is the number of pounds of prescription drugs Americans turned in last Fall at more than 9,600 sites DEA, state and local law enforcement partners. The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, the SCRATCH & CCHCC Coalitions, and the Cumberland County Improvement Authority urges residents of Cumberland to bring their unwanted medication for disposal to participating drop box sites and police stations in their township. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The next Household Hazardous Waste event at the CCIA will be on Saturday, April 21, 2018 from 8 am - 2 pm at the Cumberland County Improvement Authority located at 169 Jesse Bridge Road in Rosenhayn. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department Mobile Prescription Drop Box will be there, and at all of the 2018 Cumberland County Household Hazardous Waste events!
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. The 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.
“Increasingly people are becoming aware of the risks of prescription medication,” said the Coalition Director Matthew Rudd, “and the more people become aware, the more success we are having in disposing of potentially abused drugs.”
Additionally, the following Saturday, April 28 is an official Drug Take Back Day sponsored by the DEA. Overall, in its 14 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 9 million pounds of pills. For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, locations for disposal, or about the April 28th Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website.
Cumberland County residents can dispose of unneeded and expired medications and keep them away from those at risk of abusing them. A Drop Box can accept solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers and pet medications. There is no limit. Contact the Sheriff’s Department at 856-451-4449 or visit their website or if you need additional information on the CCIA Household Hazardous Waste event access this link.
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