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09/26/2018 09:11 AMResidents might already have a habit of cleaning out the pantry when food gets old or the closet when clothes are no longer worn, and now local advocates are asking residents to make a point of remembering to clear out the medicine cabinet, too. For the fourth year in a row, Guilford legislators and community leaders are asking residents to go through their medicine cabinets and drop off all old or unused medications at the Guilford Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 29, for Medication Take Back Day.
Organized by State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98), Guilford DAY (Developmental Assets for Youth), and the Guilford Police Department, the event is designed to raise awareness and encourage residents to clean out their medicine cabinets. In a country in the midst of a significant opioid epidemic, Scanlon said something as small as removing unused prescription drugs from the house can have a big impact.
“The root cause of our opioid crisis is the number of expired and unused prescription pills sitting in medicine cabinets in Guilford and in every city and town in this state,” he said. “These powerful drugs often fall into the wrong hands if not properly disposed and people who begin misusing them quickly develop a deadly addiction that four out of five times lead them to begin using heroin. We like to think this isn’t going to happen to our child or loved one, but it’s happening every day to millions of people across our country and the best way to prevent it from happening is by disposing of your drugs and that’s why I will continue to partner with DAY and our police department for as long as I have this position.”
In the first year of the Take Back Day campaign, more than 60 pounds of medication was collected, according to Scanlon. Guilford’s Sue Kruczek, who lost her son Nick to an overdose, said events like Take Back Day help get medications out of the home and spread information.
“Misuse of prescription drugs can be curbed by proper disposal of unused drugs,” she said. “The majority of first-time abusers obtain their drug from a family member, friend, and home medicine cabinet. Improper disposal can lead to environmental contamination as well. Proper disposal of unused prescriptions is an individual responsibility. Please make the effort to help keep your unused prescriptions out of the hands of your family or friends and help keep our community safe.”
Take Back Day serves as a reminder to get rid of unused prescription medication, but the medication box at the police station helps curb excess prescription medication in the community all year long.
Use of the box is completely anonymous, unmonitored, and all medication collected is later incinerated. Guilford Police Chief Jeff Hutchinson previously said in 2014—the first year the box was installed—that 398 pounds of medication was collected; in 2015, 720 pounds of medication was collected and in 2016, 873 pounds of medication was collected.
However, DAY prevention coordinator Robyn Sneider said it’s important to remind residents of Guilford and neighboring towns about the presence of the box.
“We have seen a decline in the number of people coming to these events in the past year and yet there are still a lot of people who don’t know about the 24/7 box,” she said. “Branford and North Branford do not have a drop box at their Police Department…It’s Guilford, Madison, and Clinton in this area who have the permanent drop boxes.”
Medication Take Back Day is Saturday, Sept. 29 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Guilford Police Station, 400 Church Street. The medication lock box at the police station is available to the public 24/7, 365 days a year.