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Atlanta, GA | Posted: August 4, 2014
For anyone who has unused medications taking up space in a cabinet, the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) now provides a safe solution for disposal.
A new MedReturn drop box in the lobby of GTPD headquarters on Hemphill Avenue provides an anonymous one-way deposit for disposing of any medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter, including pills, patches, ointments, vitamins, samples, and even pet medications.
“A lot of police agencies have them, and we see it as a way to make the community safer and also as an opportunity to educate about the dangers that unused and expired prescription drugs pose when not properly disposed of,” said Captain Randy Barrone, who oversees the GTPD Crime Prevention Unit.
The non-medical use of controlled substance medications is at a national all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The GTPD Crime Prevention team will transfer deposited items to a secure storage space before safely disposing of them. The program is an extension of National Take Back Prescription Day, which is designed to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft, and to prevent drug disposal from creating environmental hazards.
Stamps Health Services provides a similar service for medications that are dispensed by its medical professionals, and will also soon install its own MedReturn box.
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