Politics & Government

Police to Collect Unused, Expired Medications

Service to residents will be part of statewide operation on Sept. 25.

Residents may drop off their expired prescriptions and other medications at the Township Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Police are conducting the free collection as part of a statewide operation, Take Back New Jersey.

"The goal is to properly dispose of unused medications," Lt. James Anthony said. Police will accept either prescription or non-prescription drugs, he said.

Residents may bring pills, tablets or any other non-liquid drugs to the collection, he said. Liquids are not accepted as part of the program, Anthony said.

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A similar program last year in many municipalities was conducted called Operation Medicine Cabinet.

The New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency has this year relaunched the program under a new name, in partnership with many other agencies and state departments.

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"Each year, experts say teenagers turn to an unlikely source to score drugs, their parents' medicine cabinets," according to information on the program's website.

Some of the partners working with the New Jersey DEA for the program include New Jersey State Police, the state Department of Human Services and the state's Poison Information and Education System. 

Anthony said police last year collected several boxes of old medications.

Police later drop off the medications at the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, where the drugs are collected and passed along for proper disposal,  he said.


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