Medfield Participating in Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The will be participating in National Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide residents a proper and safe venue – the police station – for disposing of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.

"Medfield began participating in the National Drug Take Back Day last spring," said Medfield Chief of Police Robert E. Meaney Jr. "The idea behind it is to remove outdated or unused medications from homes. Many people flushed them down the toilet but it has become apparent that this method results in some of the substances ending up in our nation’s water supply."

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time, according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

"Unused medications are available to others for illegal use," Meaney said when referring to another reason to participate in the program. "This may involve personal use or distributing the drugs for use by others. Some surveys have shown that unused and outdated prescription and non-prescription drugs are a source of drugs for those who abuse them. This finding is similar to the one related to alcohol that has shown that alcohol used by underage individuals often comes from their own homes."

To properly dispose of your unwanted or unused pills and medicadtion, bring them to the Medfield Police Station on Saturday. Later that day, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conjunction with the National Guard will secure the drugs and transport them to an incinerator for destruction that same day.

Meaney stressed that no syringes or needles of any type, including EpiPens, can be accepted for disposal.

"That is still a problem that is being worked on," Meaney said.