The Middletown Township Police Department today announced that they will be participating in the 14th National Take Back Initiative this Saturday, October 28th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The goal of the National Take Back Initiative is to allow residents to dispose of expired, unused, or unwanted medication in a safe and non-hazardous manner. The Department will be hosting a collection site at the Police Desk in Town Hall, located at 1 Kings Highway.
“By disposing of these medications in a secure manner, we are preventing them from falling into the wrong hands,” said Middletown Township Police Chief R. Craig Weber. Misuse of prescription drugs is a growing epidemic in our country. Far too often, users are able to find prescription drugs in the homes of family and friends. The use of these drugs can be life threatening and detrimental to the user’s health. Prescription drug use can also cause dependence and is often a gateway drug leading to even more harmful illegal substances such as heroin.
Please join the Middletown Police Department and the DEA in curbing this problem by cleaning out your medicine cabinet and removing any unwanted or expired medication this Saturday, October 28th. The previous National Take Back Initiative in April resulted in 15,939 pounds of prescription medication being collected in New Jersey alone, making it a resounding success for both the Police Department, the DEA, and our communities. We encourage citizens to help make this collection as successful as in the past. The program is anonymous and no questions will be asked of the participants.
If you are unable to attend, the Police Department encourages residents to use the permanent Project Medicine Drop Box located at Police Headquarters. The drop box is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.