Full Notification

On Saturday, April 30th, 2016, the Asbury Park Police Department will be hosting a collection site for the Drug Enforcement Agency's National Prescription Take Back Day. The collection site will be located in the municipal lobby outside of police headquarters. The hours of operation will be from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The program is anonymous and anyone with unused or expired prescription or over the counter medication can drop it off during this time. The collection site will not accept liquids, syringes or other sharp instruments. Please mark this date on your calendar and take part in this event and help us address the epidemic of addiction, overdose and death due to the abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioid pain killers.

According to the most recent national survey on drug use and health, 6.5 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs, more than cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined. Most prescription drug abusers get their pills from family and friends,including from the home medicine cabinet. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury- related death in the United States, eclipsing deaths from motor vehicle crashes or firearms. The removal from homes of unwanted prescription pills that can be abused, stolen or resold is an easy way to help fight the epidemic of substance abuse and addiction.

For further information or locations of other collection sites, please visit www.dea.gov or call our Community Relations department at 732-775-6124 or 732-272-5655. I urge everyone to take advantage of this initiative so that the unused or unwanted medication is disposed of properly and does not find its way into the wrong hands.