Dispose of Your Unwanted Prescription Drugs

On Saturday, September 29, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00p.m. the Orange Police Department, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.), has scheduled another one-day National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative. This event will take place in the Stop & Shop parking lot, located at 259 Bull Hill Lane. This is free and anonymous, no questions asked. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted or unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.

Our take-back events highlight the problems related to prescription drug abuse, and give our citizens an opportunity to contribute to the solution. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Unwanted, unused, or expired medications in our homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are very high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies have shown that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, can pose a potential safety and health hazard.

Please consider stopping by Stop & Shop on September 29th to dispose of your unwanted medications.