REGION – Do you have expired or unused medication?
A number of area police departments are planning means of disposing of such medication as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 30.
Events are generally running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They’re open to the public, with no fee or identification required.
The Hudson, Shrewsbury, Northborough and Grafton police departments all have plans listed through the official Take Back Day website.
Each of those departments will be hosting their programming at their respective headquarters, with the exception of Shrewsbury, which is running Take Back Day at the Shrewsbury Senior Center.
Experts advise disposal of old medications
Take Back Day is coordinated through the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), encouraging individuals to dispose of unused medications to limit the risk of misuse.
This is as the national drug crisis continues, with impacts felt at the local level.
Recently contacted by the Community Advocate, Westborough, Shrewsbury and Northborough all reported increases in the number of opioid overdoses in the first 2.5 months of 2022, compared to the same period a year ago.
In Westborough, the number of overdoses this year had already eclipsed the total number documented in 2021 as of March 18.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface as to what travels through this town,” Westborough police Lt. Michael Daniels additionally warned, in reference to the flow of drugs through Westborough.
Local communities receive funds to address addiction
As communities grapple with those surges, they are getting new money to aid in efforts to address addiction.
State attorney general Maura Healey announced allocations earlier this month following a major settlement with Johnson and Johnson and three key opioid distributors over those companies’ involvement in the opioid epidemic.
The overall settlement totaled more than $26 billion, which is being shared by 46 participating states.
Of Massachusetts’ $525 million share, just over $200 million is going to municipalities.
Local communities are receiving the following allocations:
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- Hudson – $419,361
- Marlborough – $771,289
- Southborough – $457,035
- Westborough – $1,006,087
- Shrewsbury – $1,360,622
- Northborough – $509,379
- Grafton – $586,178
See full settlement data from the Attorney General’s office through the state’s website.
And see a full listing of participating Take Back Day communities online at https://www.dea.gov/takebackday.
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