If you keep forgetting to throw out that bottle of Ritalin that expired in 2005, now’s your chance to dispose of it properly, rather than contaminating the waterways or risking having someone’s kids swipe it to get high.
Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey encourages residents to clean out their medicine cabinets and dispose of unwanted pills on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Designated locations in each county will be available.
The statewide effort is spearheaded by the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) to cut down on the growing problem of prescription drug abuse.
OxyContin is often abused.
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In addition, tossing the pills in the toilet can contaminate the waterways.
Recent case
More specific reminders of the dangers of prescription drugs are the recent cases handled by the NJ Attorney General’s office involving prescription drug rings. Just last month, authorities in Hudson County arrested 13 people, including residents from Jersey City, Hoboken, and Union City, for helping obtain or fill fraudulent narcotics prescriptions. Medicaid and private insurers were billed for phony prescriptions and doctor visits.
Percocet, OxyContin abused most
According to the DEA, the most commonly abused pharmaceuticals among New Jersey residents are Percocet, OxyContin, Xanax, Vicodin/Vicodin ES, and Hydrocodone/Hydrocodone products. Many of the drugs are prescribed as painkillers after surgery. Unfortunately, they end up in the hands of people who become addicts, especially youths.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy, in their 2007 study on prescription drug abuse among teens, found that next to marijuana, prescription medications were the most common illegal drugs teens used to get high. 840,000 teens ages 12-17 reported current abuse of prescription drugs.
In a 2008 survey of parents’ attitudes on their alcohol and drug abuse, PDFNJ found that 62 percent of parents feel that kids get prescription and over-the-counter drugs from their own home medicine cabinet.
NJ Attorney General Anne Milgram said, “This operation will reduce the availability of potent drugs that lead kids down a path to addiction. We can’t break a cycle of dependence if powerful prescription drugs are stashed in our own homes, tucked away in drawers and cabinets.”
Carrying out the operation
People can bring their unused and expired medication to following locations. Only turn them over to a police person on duty:
Bayonne – City Hall/Main Entrance, 630 Ave. C, (201) 858-6900.
Jersey City – Jersey City Police Community Relations, 384 MLK Drive, (201) 547-5682; Hudson County Sheriff’s Department/ County Courthouse, 595 Newark Ave., (201) 915-1300; Hudson County Sheriff’s Department /Hudson County Plaza, 257 Cornelison Ave., (201) 915-1300.
Hoboken – Hoboken Police Headquarters, 1 Police Plaza, (201) 420-2100; Ambulance Corps., 715 Clinton St.; Marion Gardens, 400 First St.; Fox Hill Gardens, 311 13th St.; Andrew Jackson Gardens, 221 Jackson St.
Harrison – Harrison Police Department, 318 Harrison Ave, (973) 483-4100.
East Newark – East Newark Police Headquarters, 34 Sherman Ave., (973) 481-2900.
After the operation finishes for the day at the various Hudson County locations, the medication will be brought to a location monitored by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office under “literally lock and key,” according to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio.
If there is not drug take‐back or collection program is your town, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has the following guidelines for disposal: take your prescription drugs out of their original containers; mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds; put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub or sealable bag; conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape or by scratching it off, and place the sealed container with the mixture and the empty drug containers in the trash.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.