Stoneham Police Took Back 370 Pounds of Drugs at Two Events This Year

From the Stoneham Police Department:

Police Chief James McIntyre is pleased to announce that the Stoneham Police Department took back 114.4 pounds of prescription drugs during the Sept. 27 National Take Back Day. This brings the department to 373 pounds of drugs taken off the streets this year during two programs in April and September.

“Every bottle of pills or unused prescription sample that stays in someone’s medicine cabinet has the potential to be stolen, lost, used by accident, or abused,” Chief McIntyre said. “I am proud of the partnerships we have formed with the public and our fellow law enforcement agencies to remove these drugs from circulation and prevent potential public health emergencies.”

The take-back days included prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, samples, pet medication,and others dropped off to officers on April 26 and on Sept. 27, 2014. It was a very successful year for the program.

In coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Stoneham Police Sergeant Tony Kranefuss set up the day to allow residents to get rid of unused, expired and unwanted medications that were in their possession.

“The home medicine cabinet can be a dangerous place when the wrong hands get possession of medications that are not meant for them,” Sgt. Kranefuss said. “In this day and age, these are important programs to help prevent drug abuse, overdose and accidental poisoning when prescription drugs are used incorrectly.”

There are also serious environmental concerns about unused prescriptions. Long gone are the days of flushing prescriptions down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage. Returning your unwanted medicines to a take-back program is the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of unused medications, because the Police Department ensures that the drugs are properly and responsibly disposed of.

If you were not able to attend this year’s events, the Stoneham Police Department accepts your unused and unwanted prescription drugs, 24 hours a day 365 days a year, in a drug disposal kiosk located in the police station lobby.

Find out more about the Stoneham Police Department at http://www.stoneham-ma.gov/police-department.