Shelter-At-Home Mandates Present Opportunity to Clear Medicine Cabinets of Expired and Unused Medications

Published on April 22, 2020

Sheltering at home during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a perfect opportunity to rid medicine cabinets of expired and unused prescription drugs.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon urges residents to discard outdated and unneeded medications “ and keep them from being sampled by people they weren't intended for “ by disposing of them in secure prescription drug drop boxes maintained at most Police Departments in Morris County.

Morris County Sheriff's Officer Joe McGee points to the Prescription Drug Drop Box in the lobby of the Morris County Administration and Records Building in Morristown. Morris County Sheriff's Officer Joe McGee points to the Prescription Drug Drop Box in the lobby of the Morris County Administration and Records Building in Morristown.

The Morris County Sheriff's Prescription Drug Drop Box Program was started in 2013 in collaboration with the Rockaway-based Prevention Is Key and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris. The Sheriff's Office maintains a Prescription Drug Drop Box in the lobby of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown. (Please refer to the list below for Police Department locations and types of items accepted for disposal)

In the first 15 weeks of 2020, fatal drug overdoses in Morris County “ 27 as of April 21 “ are up by 41 percent from the 16 overdoses that occurred over the same time period in 2019. As the escalation also occurs around the state, Sheriff Gannon recommends that individuals in Morris County who are struggling with opioid addiction reach out to the Morris County Sheriff's Office Hope One program's supportive network of resources.

People with substance use disorders are vulnerable, and even more so if they are ill with the novel Coronavirus as it can attack the lungs and ability to breathe just as an opioid overdose depresses respiration, Sheriff Gannon said.

Hope One is a partnership with the Rockaway-based Prevention Is Key (PIK) and its sister agency, the Center for Addiction Recovery, Education & Success (CARES); Daytop-NJ, the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, and the Morris County Department of Human Services.

If you or someone you care about needs help, contact the following services:

  • CENTER FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY, EDUCATION & SUCCESS (CARES): 24-hour support line at 973-625-1143. CARES also will deliver Narcan, upon request, in a safe, non-contact way.
  • HOPE ONE: 973-590-0300. For Narcan training via Zoom, please contact Morris County Sheriff's Office Corporal Erica Valvano at erice@co.morris.nj.us or at 973-590-0300.
  • MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF ESSEX AND MORRIS:
    Peer support line from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.: 877-760-4987; 866-445-3902; 800-381-2059. The Mental Health Association has added a daytime number for peer support, Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please call: 877-760-4987.

Prescription Drug Drop Boxes accept prescription drugs, prescription patches, prescription ointments, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, samples and medications for pets.

The Drop Boxes DO NOT accept thermometers, needles, medication from businesses or clinics, aerosol cans, inhalers or hydrogen peroxide.

Municipal Police Departments in Morris County that participate in the Prescription Drug Drop Box Program include:

Butler Police Department, Chatham Township Police Department, Chester Township Police Department, Denville Police Department, East Hanover Police Department, Florham Park Police Department, Hanover Police Department, Jefferson Township Police Department, Kinnelon Police Department, Lincoln Park Police Department, Long Hill Police Department, Madison Police Department, Mendham Borough Police Department, Montville Township Police Department, Morris Township Police Department, Mount Arlington Police Department, Mount Olive Department, Netcong Police Department, Parsippany Police Department, Pequannock Police Department, Riverdale Police Department, Rockaway Borough Police Department, Rockaway Township Police Department, Wharton Police Department and Washington Township Police Department.

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