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Wayne Police Collect 134 Pounds Of Unused, Expired Prescription Pills

WAYNE, N.J.– Police departments across the state were taking back unused or expired prescription medicine on Saturday – and Wayne police collected approximately 134 pounds of prescription pills in the fight against drug abuse. 

Wayne police collected over 130 pounds of unused or expired prescription pills

Wayne police collected over 130 pounds of unused or expired prescription pills

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Wayne Police Department
The drugs were incinerated by the DEA

The drugs were incinerated by the DEA

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Wayne Police Department

The items were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for immediate incineration, police said. 

The bi-annual drug disposal day, sponsored by the DEA, is part of an ongoing battle against addictions to prescription drugs and heroin.

With drug overdoses now the leading cause of accidental deaths nationwide, Drug Take Back Day helps rid homes of prescription drugs that could be abused, stolen or resold, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Robert Lougy said.

Since its launch in 2011, New Jersey’s Project Medicine Drop program has collected more than 12,740 pounds of unwanted medicine and destroyed it safely through incineration.

With the lines "three to five people deep" during the five-hour collection period, and the total amount collected, this was Wayne's most successful Operation Take Back to date, Sgt. James Celentano said. 

No liquids, EpiPens, needles, or syringes were accepted. 

Every day, approximately 120 people die from a drug overdose in the United States – about half from prescription opioids and heroin, according to the DEA. 

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