National Drug Take Back Day – Oct. 27
Prevent Drug Thefts, Abuse and Overdoses

SOMERVILLE – Sheriff Frank Provenzano announces the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 27. A Sheriff’s Officer will be posted in front of the Somerset County Administration Building at 20 Grove St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect outdated, unwanted or unused medications – free of charge and no questions asked. Prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted.
Addictive prescription drugs that are thrown away or left untended on shelves and in drawers at home are often stolen and either abused or sold by family members and visitors. That’s why the DEA and thousands of its state, local and tribal law enforcement and community partners are holding another Prescription Drug Take Back Day at over 5,000 sites around the country.

America is experiencing an epidemic of addiction, overdose and death due to abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioid painkillers. An estimated 6.4 million Americans age 12 and over – 2.4 percent of the population – abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health released last fall, more than abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and methamphetamine combined. Drug overdoses now are the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, eclipsing deaths from motor vehicle crashes or firearms. The majority of prescription drug abusers report that they obtain their drugs from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Last October, Americans turned in 366 tons – over 730,000 pounds – of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 12 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 7.1 million pounds of pills – more than 3,500 tons.

The public can find a nearby collection site here or by calling 1-800-882-9539. Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites – liquids, needles or other sharps will not be accepted.

“For our community’s safety, I look forward to continued efforts in safety and education for our residents to achieve victory against drug abuse,” said Sheriff Provenzano.
Residents wishing to dispose of medications year-round can do so by dropping them off at the Sheriff’s Office medicine collection drop box, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The drop box is located in the lower level of the Somerset County Administration Building at 20 Grove St., near the entrance to the Sheriff’s Office.
Additional 24/7 drop boxes are located at the following participating municipalities in Somerset County (liquids and syringes are not accepted at these locations):
• Bernards Township Police Department, 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 - (908) 766-1122
• Branchburg Police Department, 590 Old York Road at Route 202 North, Branchburg, NJ 08876 - (908) 526-3830
• Franklin Township Police Department, 495 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 - (732) 873-2300
• Hillsborough Township Police Department, 379 S. Branch Road, Hillsborough NJ 08844 - (908) 369-4323
• North Plainfield Police Department, 263 Somerset St., North Plainfield, NJ 07060 - (908) 769-2937


For more information about medicine collection in Somerset County, contact Sheriff’s Officer Dave Daneker at (908) 231-7140, ext. 9, or Capt. Steve SanAntonio at (908) 231-7168.