Chief’s Column: Grafton Police will host drug take-back

On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Grafton Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your unwanted pills and medications for disposal to Grafton Police Headquarters located at 28 Providence Road. The DEA normally only accepts pills or patches however; the Grafton Board of Health will also be present to collect unwanted sharps (needles & syringes) for disposal. These items must be kept separate from the prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous…no questions asked.

Americans nationwide have once again shown their strong support for DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off 745,000 pounds of medications during the October, 2021 Take Back event. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 15.2 million pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. With close to 5,000 collection sites nationwide, DEA and its more than 4,200 state and local law enforcement partners came together to help the public rid their homes of unneeded medications, those that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed that too often become a gateway to addiction.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA and the Grafton Police Department is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.

PLEASE REMEMBER: For the convenience of residents, the Grafton Police Department maintains a 24/7 MedReturn Drug Collection Box in the lobby of the police station. If you cannot stop by to bring your unwanted prescription drugs on April 30th, feel free to stop by anytime. There is also a sharps collection box for needles and syringes in the office of the Grafton Board of Health located in the Municipal Center. Residents must make an appointment by calling 508-839-5335 (ext. 1119) prior to bringing their sharps for disposal.

Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.

Chief of Police