Chief’s Column: Police and DEA want to Take Back your prescription drugs
On Saturday, October 24th, from 10 am to 2 pm, 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. (Please remember to wear your mask.)
Americans nationwide have once again shown their strong support for DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by dropping off nearly 883,000 pounds of medications during the October 2019 Take Back event. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 12.7 million pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. On Oct. 26, 2019, the public turned in 882,919 pounds – almost 442 tons – of medication to DEA and 4,896 of its community partners at 6,174 collection sites nationwide. Since 2017, DEA has collected nearly 5.5 million pounds of medications.
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 October 24th, 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
