Dutchess County Holds Drug Take-Back Day
On Saturday April 27, law enforcement officers stationed at ten locations throughout Dutchess County collected unused, unwanted, and expired medications for National Drug Take-Back Day.
In 2018, a total of 3,324 pounds of medications were collected at the ten countywide drop-off locations.
Lieutenant Frank LaMonica was among the Poughkeepsie law enforcement that braved cold winds to greet the steady stream of Dutchess County residents who arrived to turn in their old medications. These old medications can be everything from old pain medication from a surgery to expired ibuprofen to Epipens.
Within the first half hour of the designated drop-off time, Lieutenant LaMonica had already filled one trash bag of medications dropped off by residents. “There were people waiting when I got here,” LaMonica commented. “People really take this day as an opportunity to clean out old medications they may have lying around and don’t even realize.”
Besides being a day for people to clean out their medicine cabinets, National Drug Take-Back Day is a nationwide effort to curb opioid addiction. According to Marc Molinaro, County Executive of Dutchess County, “We know the opioid epidemic has grown because of prescription drugs ending up in the hands of those who weren’t prescribed them or fell victim to addiction while being prescribed them.”
Above all, Lieutenant LeMonica stressed Dutchess County residents can drop off unused or expired medications at any time at select drop-off locations. There are drop boxes open 24 hours a day at 10 law enforcement offices throughout Dutchess County. National Drug Take-Back Day merely serves as “a local community effort to increase awareness,” according to LaMonica.
The Dutchess County Prescription Medication Drop Box Program was first launched in 2014 by STOP DWI-New York, a program focused on reducing the number of people killed or injured in alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes. The program is funded entirely from fines paid by convicted drunken drivers.
Since 2014, the Dutchess County Prescription Medication Drop Box Program has safely collected and destroyed over 12,550 pounds of medications.
Mary Fields, a Principal Program Assistant at STOP DWI-New York said explained the program is responsible for organizing the permanent drop boxes available in Dutchess County. “People shouldn’t have those substances lying around their house, but they shouldn’t throw them away or flush them either because that’s harmful to the environment,” said Fields. “People need to be able to get rid of them at any time.”
Fields explained old medications should not be flushed because they dissolve and taint whatever body of what they end up in. They also should not be thrown away, as they end up in a landfill, and eventually soak into the soil. All medications collected are incinerated.
For the average citizen, safely turning in unused medications serves as a way to positively contribute to their community. “There are so many people who feel helpless and feel that they can’t make a difference,” said Molinaro. “If their local community is buying into Drug Take-Back Day it suggests that as a community we’re engaged in trying to help others.”
