Verona-Cedar Grove Police Collecting Drugs

The Verona and Cedar Grove Police Departments will be helping residents do some spring cleaning by collecting unwanted, unused or expired medicines for proper disposal.

Operation Take Back New Jersey Day, organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will take place in both Verona and Cedar Grove on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their respective municipal buildings.

“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,” Verona police said. “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.”

The Cedar Grove Police Department collected 136 pounds of expired and unwanted medicine and the Verona Police Department collected 62 pounds of medicine in October 2012.

“Its important to clear out your medicine cabinets for several reasons,” said Verona Police Capt. Mitchell Stern during the October 2012 collection, “It is important to cut down the illegal use of prescription medication, but it is just as important to stop people from taken the wrong medication by accident.”

For example, he said, it can be dangerous in certain situations such as if someone were to come home with a splitting headache and reach into the medicine cabinet for an aspirin, but instead pick up the wrong bottle or expired medicine.

“Another important reason for the collection is to ensure that the medicine is disposed of properly instead of dumping it into the toilet or garbage can,” said Stern.