Residents may dispose of prescription drugs at Stafford Township Police Department on April 26

As part of Operation Take Back New Jersey, the Stafford Township Police Department will host a collection site for local residents to dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medications. The event will be held at the local police department, located at 260 East Bay Ave., between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., on Saturday, April 26. The statewide program, with the majority of New Jersey police departments participating, is spearheaded by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey division, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program and New Jersey National Guard.

Photo via Prevention
Residents are asked to properly dispose of
prescription drugs through disposal programs.

The initiative aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for prescription drug abuse, which many consider to be the precursor to heroin use.

“Prescription pills are opiates, and that’s what heroin is,” said Chris Mulch, a detective with the Stafford Police Department. “I’m not saying that’s the main cause for heroin abuse, but it definitely plays a part, and they go hand in hand,” he added.

National surveys show teenagers who abuse prescription drugs often take them from relatives or get them from friends.

The disposal program helps ensure unwanted drugs are out of the house and do not get into the wrong hands. This is especially important for the local area, which has seen a major increase in drug-related issues. Deaths from drug overdoses in Ocean County rose 111 percent between 2012 and 2013.

The disposal program is anonymous, and all efforts will be made to protect the privacy of individuals disposing of medications. No one will be questioned or asked for identification.

Individuals may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing it from its package and disposing it directly into the drug disposal bin. If the original container is submitted, the prescription label should be removed of any personal identifying information. Liquid products should remain sealed in their original container. Syringes and other sharp instruments will not be accepted.

At the conclusion of the program, the DEA will assume custody of the drug collection boxes and dispose of the contents in accordance with DEA policy.

Unwanted prescription drugs may also be taken to any one of the county’s full-time drop-off points at the Toms River, Lacey Township, Lakewood, Manchester Township and Seaside Heights police departments. The drop-off boxes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The law enforcement agencies began hosting the full-time programs in late February to help combat the area’s heroin epidemic.

For more information about the full-time drop-off points, visit ochd.org.

–Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.