Crime & Safety
Prescription Drug Drop-Off Program At Blue Claws Game Nets 88 Pounds
Prosecutor calls event a "tremendous success"
Roughly 100 people took advantage of a prescription drug drop-off program at the Lakewood Blue Claws stadium recently, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said.
"The drop-off event held at Blue Claws Stadium yielded 88 pounds in unused prescription drugs in just over a one-hour period," Coronato said in a statement.
Popular Stories
- Pelican Island Residents Threaten Legal Action to Halt…
- Snooki Says 'Haters' Are Just 'Freaking Jealous;' Defiant…
- Nine Months After Sandy, Volunteers Clean Out Seaside…
- Shore Towns Suffering Beach Revenue Woes After Hurricane…
- Little Egg Harbor Man Arrested On Route 72 For Numerous…
- Police Arrest Man Sought in Retro Fitness Attack
- Eight Contractors Implicated in Sandy-Damaged Home Sting…
- Update: Minor Injuries for Plane Crash at Wall Executive…
Event volunteers accepted unwanted prescriptions before the start of the game at 6 p.m. and closed out the collection just prior to 7:30pm.
"Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse," Coronato said. "Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high."
The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that more Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined, he said.
"Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet," Coronato said..
The Prosecutor's Office secured the collected drugs and turned them over to the Lakewood Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency to be destroyed, he said.
Additional drug drop-offs are slated in the near future, Coronato said.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here