The Pine Hill Police Department will be participating in the DEA Operation Take Back New Jersey on Saturday, October 28, 2017 from 10:00am until 2:00pm. The event will be held at the Police Administration Building located at 48 West Sixth Avenue. The Department will be providing a safe and legal method for the residents of Pine Hill and surrounding jurisdictions to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired medication. Information will also be available for local drug addiction support services and Operation SAL. Since May 2014, the Pine Hill Police Department has responded to over 110 reported drug overdoses. Police Officer and EMS have deployed lifesaving naloxone in over 60 of those incidents.
Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.
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. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 28, 2017 Take Back Day event contact Det. Pierson at mpierson@pinehillpd.com or 856-783-1549 x 412 or email communityrelations@pinehillpd.com