Police Will Collect Unused Prescriptions This Weekend

Got unused meds you need to get rid of? Bring them to the police station this weekend.

The North Andover Police and Health departments will host a prescription drug disposal day Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the North Andover Police Station as part of a nationwide Drug Enforcement Administration effort to curb prescription drug abuse.

"We have been contacted by families who have family members going to assisted living or nursing homes that wished to dispose of the prescription drugs properly," said North Andover Police Lt. Paul Gallagher. "This program will assist them."

The program is designed to reassure patients that their prescription medications will not get into the hands of people who might abuse them. Prescription addiction is on the rise across the nation, especially among teens, and prescription drug overdoses cause most of the 26,000 fatal drug overdoses each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We are involved in this effort in order to help get these potentially dangerous drugs out of your homes and disposed of legally and safely," said North Andover Police Chief Richard Stanley. "Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem and one that we all need to address.

"On an ongoing basis, parents and grandparents need to monitor their prescriptions closely to ensure that their children or children's friends don't have access to these drugs. For example, keeping medication in the bathroom, while common, makes it easy for a curious teen to get their hands on these drugs."

Residents are asked to gather expired, unused and unneeded medications and bring them to the station to be safely disposed of by the DEA at no cost to the community.

"The drugs are destroyed via the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection," Gallagher said. "I had to apply for a waiver via application for the Sept. 25 destruction. A DEA agent and the National Guard will be picking up the secured containers for destruction."

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office is urging residents to take advantage of the program.

"Prescription drugs are abused by young people in greater numbers than cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants combined," Blodgett said in a statement last week. "In most cases, young people are able to get these drugs from their homes or from a friend's home. Young people believe that these drugs are safer than so-called street drugs when in fact non-medical use of these drugs can be very dangerous and highly addictive."

The program, which the Police Department hopes to eventually have ongoing, is anonymous and free to all residents. Syringes, needles, medical devices, thermometers and IV bags will not be accepted.

For more information, cal Lt. Gallagher at 978-683-3168 or pgallagher@napd.us, or the Health Department's Debra Rillahan  at 978-688-6543 or drillahan@townofnorthandover.com, or go to www.dea.gov to find another collection site.