Police to collect unwanted drugs
On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 11 Aroostook County police departments and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will provide its sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your medications for disposal to one of the following departments. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The following departments are locations where medications may be dropped off: Ashland Police Department, 17 Bridgham St., Ashland; Caribou Police Department, 25 High St., Caribou; Fort Fairfield Police Department, 18 Community Center Drive, Fort Fairfield; Houlton Police Department, 97 Military St., Houlton; Limestone Police Department, 93 Main St., Limestone; Maine State Police, Troop F, 1 Darcie Drive, Houlton; Presque Isle Police Department, 43 North St., Suite 2, Presque Isle; Washburn Police Department, 1287 Main St., Washburn.
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.
“We are fortunate that all 11 police department locations in Aroostook County are prescription disposal sites all year long,” said Bethany Zell, Prevention Coordinator for Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention. “Many Aroostook County residents don’t realize that we don’t need to wait for these designated Take-Back days here in Aroostook County, but these Take-Back events are promoted nation-wide so there is always a huge response. Letting people know that they can return their unused prescriptions at their local police department at any time is one of our top priorities.”
Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention provides countywide substance abuse prevention for our local Healthy Maine Partnerships, Healthy Aroostook and Power of Prevention.
Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds—over 1,000 tons—of pills.
