The Safe Communities Coalition of Hunterdon and Somerset is sending out a Call to Action to all Hunterdon County residents to help reduce the availability of prescription (Rx) drugs in our communities.
We need the help of everyone in our county on Saturday, October 22, by joining the thousands of Americans who will be safely disposing their unused, unwanted, and expired Rx drugs as part of the DEA National Take-Back Day.
Heroin affects the brain in the same way that Rx drugs do. Many who are abusing Rx drugs move to heroin as a cheaper alternative. The Coalition is seeking your help to reduce prescription drug availability and potential heroin abuse in our community today. In a continuing effort to help residents keep their homes and families safe from Rx drugs, the Safe Communities Coalition, along with our partners with the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's and Sheriff's Offices and law enforcement, are urging residents to participate in the DEA National Take-Back Day on Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
According to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III, "This initiative addresses a vital 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 U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs."
Seventy percent (70%) of people who abuse prescription drugs start by abusing the medication in their friends and families medicine cabinets." According to Amy Menes, Chair of the Rx Drugs Workgroup for the Safe Communities Coalition, "One in three teens think abusing Rx drugs is safer than street drugs and that there is 'nothing wrong' with abusing Rx drugs 'every once in a while.' By cleaning out your medicine cabinet of unwanted, unused, and expired medications, you reduce the access and availability of these drugs to our youth."
There has been an escalated amount of heroin abuse in New Jersey, and in Hunterdon County, as a result of prescription drug addiction. In 2012, there were more than 8,300 admissions to State-licensed or certified substance abuse treatment programs due to prescription drug abuse, an increase of more than 200% over the past five years, and nearly 700% over the past decade. Forty percent of opiate admissions for treatment involved persons 25 years old or younger. (2014 GCADA Task Force on Heroin and Other Opiate Use on NJ Youth and Young Adults). Please refer to the graphic to the right for more information on the rate of addiction amongst drugs according to the Center for Disease Control.
In the previous Take-Back Day event held in April 2016, the DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement partners, collected about 447 tons of prescription medications nationwide, with over 17,785 pounds collected in New Jersey, thereby reducing access to these drugs. According to Hunterdon County Undersheriff Robert Smith, "Prescription pill abuse is a serious issue that affects the whole community. Take-Back Day is a great opportunity for county residents to clean out their medicine cabinets and make sure their unused prescriptions don't end up in the wrong hands."
Residents can properly dispose of their expired or unused medications by bringing them to one of the designated sites listed below:
- Justice Center (Permanent)
65 Park Avenue, Flemington - Readington Township Police Department (Permanent)
507 Route 523, Whitehouse Station - Clinton Township Police Department, 1370 Route 31, Annandale
- Holland Township Police Department (Permanent)
61 Church Road, Milford - High Bridge Police Department
99 W Main Street, High Bridge
Other permanent drop-box locations are also available throughout the county:
- Frenchtown Police Department
27 Second Street, Frenchtown - Lambertville Police Department
349 N. Main Street, Lambertville - New Jersey State Police, Kingwood Station, 945 Route 12, Kingwood
- New Jersey State Police, Perryville Station
90 Route 73, Hampton - Tewksbury Twp. Police Department
167 Old Turnpike Road, Califon - West Amwell Police Department
24 Mt. Airy Village Road, Lambertville
Please note that liquids, syringes, and illegal substances are not accepted at these locations.
New locations are added on a regular basis. To find out if there is a take-back location closer to your home, visit the DEA website at http://ift.tt/2dpTXzi In the event you miss the National Take-Back Day, please note that most of the locations above are permanent collection sites and can be visited during normal working business hours for dropping off prescription drugs.
This item was submitted by Cathy Canterino.
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