Police Department Initiates Project Medicine Drop

The East Brunswick Police Department is taking part in a different type of war on drugs.

The department has installed lockable metal “prescription drug drop boxes,” resembling a mailbox, in the hallway outside the police department’s front desk. Members of the public are invited to come in and use the box 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to dispose of their unused and expired medications. The drop box accepts solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, and pet medications. The drop box cannot accept syringes or liquids.

The program—Project Medicine Drop—is a cooperative effort between the EBPD, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and Division of Consumer Affairs.  This simple but important step helps keep excess medications from falling into the hands of those who might abuse them, or sell them for abuse, according to the police department. It also helps protect the environment—as it keeps harmful medications from being flushed into the water supply.

“The East Brunswick Police Department is proud to lead this initiative in our county, and to help residents take an active role in the effort to keep unused medications from being abused, and from polluting the environment,” said Deputy Chief William Krause Jr.

For more information regarding Project Medicine Drop please visit the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs website at http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/meddrop.

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