CAPE MAY – On April 28, Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) Police Department will participate in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This initiative, which focuses on removing potentially dangerous drugs from our nation’s homes, provides an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceuticals and other medications to law enforcement officers for proper disposal.
According to Col. Richard Arroyo, police administrator for DRBA, this DEA program addresses a vital public safety and health issue. “The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has found that 66 percent of teens who misused pain relievers got them from family and friends, including their home’s medicine cabinets,” stated Arroyo in a release. “It is important to properly dispose of expired, unwanted or unused prescription medicines to diminish opportunities for easy access to these medications. We hope many folks will take advantage of this opportunity to do just that.”
Arroyo added that the program is confidential. “No questions or requests for identification will be made by law enforcement personnel present,” he said. “In fact, participants will be asked to remove any personal information from bottles or packages.”
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications. Numerous collections sites are established throughout the area for the public to relinquish over-the-counter, controlled substance or prescription drugs – including tablets, capsules, ointments, creams and liquids. No syringes please.
More than 1,000 pounds of medication have been collected at DRBA sites since the bi-state agency began participation in the NTBI in Sept. 2010.
This event will be held April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The DRBA Police Department has established three collection sites:
• New Castle Airport Terminal Building, 151 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, Del.
• Lewes Ferry Terminal, 43 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, Del.
• Cape May Ferry Terminal, 1200 Lincoln Blvd., North Cape May
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are also advised that the typical methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
According to the 2016 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 18.4 million Americans abused prescription drugs. According to a recent survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs daily to get high for the first time.
The public can find the nearest collection sites in their community by logging on to the internet and going to the www.dea.gov website and clicking on the drug disposal icon. After clicking on the icon, you must enter your zip code and the database will query the collection sites that have been registered and provide you with the nearest collection site near that zip code.
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