FREEHOLD – Those who have have unwanted or expired drugs in your medicine cabinets can dispose of them properly between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, when most Monmouth County law enforcement agencies will accept them as part of the National Take Back Initiative.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said the program is anonymous and no questions will be asked of participants. The sheriff’s office and more than 20 local police departments will be accepting the medications during this event. With the help of Tripsitter, a psychedelic harm reduction organization, there will be a booth accepting psychedelic drugs as well. Intake includes drugs like LSD, LSZ, 1P-LSD, mescaline, and DMT.
The county drop-off location is the sheriff’s office at 50 E. Main St. in Freehold.
The goal of the program is to encourage people to deliver these medications to law enforcement officials who can then dispose of these pills in a safe and non-hazardous manner, preventing them from falling into the hands of juveniles or into the illicit market in our communities.
“Removing unused and unwanted medications from your medicine cabinet and destroying them appropriately is one way we can protect lives and the environment,” said Freeholder John P. Curley, liaison to the county’s mental health and addiction services division. “Studies have shown that the majority of people abusing prescription medication have obtained them through raiding the medicine cabinets of family and friends. We need to get these unused medicines out of our homes.”
Curley advises County residents to contact their local police department or visit the federal Drug Enforcement Administration website to find the closest collection site to dispose of their unused, unwanted or expired medicines.
Those who miss the Oct. 26 event, you can always drop off unwanted or expired medications at the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
For more information on the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and local collection information, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.
