Got unused or expired medications in your medicine cabinet?
You can get rid of them safely, keeping them out of the hands of exploring children or experimenting teens or adults, by dropping them off at the Rumson Police Department on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the aim of which is "to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications."
Statistics from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency have shown that prescription drug abuse is rampant among juveniles, citing that prescription medications are often the first drugs abused by them and many times aren't the last.
A dangerously popular teen trend reported by the agency and other municipal alliance programs has been the clearing of parents' medicine cabinets of unused prescription medications, pooling them and indiscriminately taking them at parties.
Local police have said that prescription drugs are among the top five drugs commonly abused by juveniles.
The Take-Back Day is a safe means in which to dispose of the medications without the risk of them being pilfered from garbage or possibly contaminating water supplies by flushing or tossing.
According to the DEA, many lack the knowledge of how to properly dispose of unused medication.
Police advise that those dropping off drugs keep it in its original container, minus any prescription labels with personal information or emptying the drugs directly into the disposal box.
Liquid products, such as cough medicine, should remain sealed tightly.
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