Delaware News

Attorney General’s Office sponsors free prescription drug drop-off site through DEA

Department of Justice | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2010



Free anonymous drop-off offered in Middletown this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Wilmington

 

– On Saturday, September 25, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is
sponsoring a Middletown drop-off site for expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceuticals, prescription

drugs, and other medications. The drop-off site, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Middletown Police

headquarters, 130 Hampden Road, is part of National Take-Back Day coordinated by the US Drug

Enforcement Agency.

“Prescription drug abuse is a public safety threat,” Attorney General Biden stated. “Abusers

exploit the system to support their destructive drug use or drug trafficking, and they commonly access

those medications in their family medicine cabinets. This event is one way we’re limiting access to

these drugs and acting to keep our families safe from the harmful effects of drug abuse.”

Biden urged Delawareans to safety dispose of unneeded medications by turning them in to the

Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Middletown or at another drop-off site statewide. The service is free

and anonymous; no questions asked. Please note:

•

Prescription and over-the-counter solid dosage medications (i.e. tablets and capsules) areaccepted.

•

Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and needles will not be accepted.•

Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.In addition to the Middletown site, other Delaware drop-off sites sponsored by state and local

law enforcement agencies include: Dover International Speedway, Delaware State University, the

Camden Municipal Building, New Castle Police Headquarters, Delaware State Police Troop 1A (next

to Brandywine Town Center), and Wilmington’s Rodney Square. Visit www.dea.gov for a complete

searchable list, with addresses, of drop-off sites in Delaware and nationwide.

Rates of prescription drug abuse as well as accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the

misuse of these drugs have increased at an alarming rate nationwide. In addition, many Americans do

not know how to properly dispose of unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or

discarding them in the trash – both potential safety and health hazards. According to recent studies

cited by the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

 

•The number of individuals who consumed prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose for the

first time now exceeds the number of first-time marijuana users.

•7 of the top 10 drugs abused by 12th graders are prescription drugs.

From 1997 to 2007 there was a 400% increase in treatment admissions for individuals primarily

abusing prescription pain killers.

The DEA’s prescription drug “Take-Back” campaign seeks to prevent the abuse and theft of

prescription drugs left in our nation’s medicine cabinets. Government, community, public health and

law enforcement partners have joined together this Saturday to collect potentially dangerous expired,

unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at more than 3,900 sites across the nation.

# # #

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Attorney General’s Office sponsors free prescription drug drop-off site through DEA

Department of Justice | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2010



Free anonymous drop-off offered in Middletown this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Wilmington

 

– On Saturday, September 25, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is
sponsoring a Middletown drop-off site for expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceuticals, prescription

drugs, and other medications. The drop-off site, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Middletown Police

headquarters, 130 Hampden Road, is part of National Take-Back Day coordinated by the US Drug

Enforcement Agency.

“Prescription drug abuse is a public safety threat,” Attorney General Biden stated. “Abusers

exploit the system to support their destructive drug use or drug trafficking, and they commonly access

those medications in their family medicine cabinets. This event is one way we’re limiting access to

these drugs and acting to keep our families safe from the harmful effects of drug abuse.”

Biden urged Delawareans to safety dispose of unneeded medications by turning them in to the

Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Middletown or at another drop-off site statewide. The service is free

and anonymous; no questions asked. Please note:

•

Prescription and over-the-counter solid dosage medications (i.e. tablets and capsules) areaccepted.

•

Intra-venous solutions, injectables, and needles will not be accepted.•

Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.In addition to the Middletown site, other Delaware drop-off sites sponsored by state and local

law enforcement agencies include: Dover International Speedway, Delaware State University, the

Camden Municipal Building, New Castle Police Headquarters, Delaware State Police Troop 1A (next

to Brandywine Town Center), and Wilmington’s Rodney Square. Visit www.dea.gov for a complete

searchable list, with addresses, of drop-off sites in Delaware and nationwide.

Rates of prescription drug abuse as well as accidental poisonings and overdoses due to the

misuse of these drugs have increased at an alarming rate nationwide. In addition, many Americans do

not know how to properly dispose of unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or

discarding them in the trash – both potential safety and health hazards. According to recent studies

cited by the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

 

•The number of individuals who consumed prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose for the

first time now exceeds the number of first-time marijuana users.

•7 of the top 10 drugs abused by 12th graders are prescription drugs.

From 1997 to 2007 there was a 400% increase in treatment admissions for individuals primarily

abusing prescription pain killers.

The DEA’s prescription drug “Take-Back” campaign seeks to prevent the abuse and theft of

prescription drugs left in our nation’s medicine cabinets. Government, community, public health and

law enforcement partners have joined together this Saturday to collect potentially dangerous expired,

unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at more than 3,900 sites across the nation.

# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.