NORWICH – This Saturday the Norwich City Police and Sheriff’s Office will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) national “Take Back” drug collection program.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Norwich Police Station or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office, officers will accept prescription drugs and other substances, no questions asked.
The Sheriff’s Office will also be operating a collection site with the Greene Police Department at the same time, from the station at 29 North Chenango St. in the Village of Greene.
The DEA offers this opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, explained Police Chief Joseph Angelino.
“We conducted this same event in September 2010 and it was an overwhelming success,” said Angelino.
The Norwich Police collected three 35-gallon containers and two garbage bags full of prescription drugs, weighing about 120 pounds, last September as part of the first “Take Back” initiative.
“We ran out of boxes and had to fill garbage bags,” added Norwich Detective Michael Purdy.
Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting said his office is implementing a year-round prescription drug take back program.
“The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office is now certified by the U.S. DEA to accept out of date or no longer needed prescription drugs,” he said.
Cutting said the office is now certified to collect drugs at anytime during the year, but stressed the importance of holding specific “Take Back” events to help create public awareness of the growing issue of prescription drug abuse.
“Just like any other drug, prescription drug crimes often motivate theft and property crimes. People sometimes break into homes and one of the first places they tend to look is the medicine cabinet. Allowing the public to get rid of a lot of their left-over prescriptions helps create less opportunity for them to fall in wrong hands,” he said.
Police reported that in September, Americans turned in more than 121 tons of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 participating sites nation wide.
“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. 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. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines - flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash - both pose potential safety and health hazards,” said the Norwich PD in a statement.
Cutting said the issue of prescription drug abuse had gained wider attention from law enforcement over the last few years as illicit use of the drugs has continued to increase.
“People think because it’s a prescription drug it’s not illegal, but that’s why a doctor writes a prescription. Getting caught with them illegally is the same as having cocaine or heroin,” he said.
Cutting said the “Take Back” program offered police a proactive opportunity to help stem abuse.
Purdy said prescription abuse is one of the largest drug problems facing local youths, noting that national statistics say one in five teens have used a prescription substance for recreation.
“In my opinion it’s a very serious problem for law enforcement in our area,” said Purdy. “That’s the aim of this program – to hopefully remove these substances from the public and limit their availability to people who wish to abuse them or profit by their illegal sale,” he said.