New Jerseyans can drop off unwanted drugs any time of day at the Voorhees Township Police Department lobby.
For too many New Jerseyans, drug addiction begins in the medicine cabinet. The abuse and diversion of medications, including oxycodone and other opiate painkillers, are major contributors to the opiate crisis in which addiction to prescription pills has served as a gateway drug for heroin.
Project Medicine Drop protects public health and safety by keeping unused medications from becoming available to those who might abuse them. It protects the environment, giving New Jerseyans a safe disposal option besides flushing drugs into the water supply or dumping them into landfills. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has developed Project Medicine Drop as an important component of its effort to halt the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. It allows consumers to dispose of unused and expired medications anonymously.
The Voorhees Township Police Department participates in this program and the police station lobby has a drop box available 24 hours a day. After hours and on weekends and holidays the drop box is available by using the phone located outside the main entrance and requesting an officer to come to the station. Our police station is located at 1180 White Horse Road. The prominent “Project Medicine Drop” logo makes the box highly visible and recognizable.
This initiative builds on the success of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Take Back Initiative which is sponsored in NJ by the DEA, the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey and the Sheriffs’ Association of New Jersey.
Project Medicine Drop provides the opportunity to discard unused prescription medications in a safe, convenient manner. Scientists have expressed concerns about the effects of medications being released into the water supplies after having been flushed down the toilet or sink, and the U.S. Geological Survey has found traces of pharmaceuticals in streams in 30 states. Simply placing drugs in the trash creates the potential that they will be found by those seeking to sell or abuse them.
Our Police Department will maintain custody of the deposited drugs and dispose of them according to their normal procedures for the custody and destruction of controlled dangerous substances. They report the quantity of discarded drugs to the Division of Consumer Affairs on a quarterly basis.
Project Medicine Drop now includes police departments in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
Please take advantage of this initiative and join the fight against prescription drug addiction.
**Join the JFCS Project SARAH (Stop Abusive Relationships at Home) Program for “Protect U and Yours- Keeping Your Children Safe From College Campus Assault” on May 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Katz JCC Social Hall, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill. Attendees will receive information on college sexual and physical assault and resources to help keep students safe. The event will include a panel of legal experts and social workers reviewing the rights of victims of assault. Admission is free but registration is required. Visit www.jfcssnj.org/protectu/ to register for this important event.
**The Voorhees Police Foundation is holding its second annual Car Show on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m.to 1:30 p.m. in the rear parking lot of the Ritz Plaza. Admission is free. The Voorhees Police Department Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance public safety services through charitable gifts.
