On September 27, 2014 the Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) promoted National Drug Take Back Day where police departments across the nation gave the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The Upton Police Department offers this service every day of the year.
In April of 2014 the Upton Police Department implemented a permanent Med Return Kiosk in the lobby of Police Headquarters where residents can dispose of medication 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Med Return unit was purchased by Upton Board of Health.
According to the DEA take back initiative, 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. Law enforcement and treatment officials throughout the country are also reporting that many prescription opioid uses have turned to heroin as a cheaper and/or more easily obtained alternative to prescription drugs. 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.
UPTON DAILY 