New Jersey residents can now join the fight against prescription drug abuse — right in their own homes.

Operation Medicine Cabinet, a day of amnesty to dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medications in the home, has been scheduled for November 14, 2009 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. “Operation Medicine Cabinet” will give New Jersey residents the opportunity to rid their homes and medicine cabinets of unused, unwanted and expired medicine. The program will allow New Jersey residents to deliver all of their unused, unwanted or expired medications to law enforcement officials, who can in-turn dispose of these controlled substances is a safe and non-hazardous manner. Currently, more than 70% of people who abuse prescription painkillers say they get them from family or friends, often in the home or right out of medicine cabinets.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)- New Jersey Division, in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) have come together to support this day and to educate New Jersey residents about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and the easy accessibility of these drugs. This initiative will be held in partnership with law enforcement, substance abuse prevention organizations such as the New Jersey Prevention Network and their local affiliates including the Camden County Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, Inc. Operation Medicine Cabinet is the first state-wide prescription drug disposal program in the nation.

Camden County residents who are looking for information on their local collection sites should visit www.operationmedicinecabinetnj.com. Or, feel free to call our office @ (856) 427 – 6553 for more details.

Reprinted with permission from the Partnership for a Drug Free NJ