Safe Medicaition Disposal Day

Spring cleaning should include your medicine cabinet!  Help protect your family, your community and the environment by properly disposing of the medications you no longer need.

Local residents expressed interest in a safe location to discard their unused medications.  The Melrose & Wakefield Police were granted a waiver by the Drug Enforcement Agency to collect controlled substances and other medications through a secure drop box.  ALL unused and/or expired prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications (except liquids) may be deposited in this drop box located in the lobby of both the Melrose and Wakefield Police Departments.  Medications are accepted 7 days a week / 24 hours a day.

Why?
A growing danger among teens today is the intentional abuse of prescription drugs and over-the counter (OTC) cough & cold medicines.  One cause of the problem is how easily teens can find them.  Studies show that the majority of abused prescription and over-the counter drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from home medicine cabinets. 

Turning in your unused prescription and over-the counter drugs also helps keep our water supplies clean. Recent national reports have raised environmental concerns about medications that are flushed down the toilet or poured down the sink.  Studies show that trace amounts of medications are being found in drinking water supplies across the country, which has prompted public interest in how people are disposing of these drugs.  Proper disposal is a significant way to lower the risk of groundwater contamination.

How?
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO CLEAN OUT THE MEDICINE CABINET IN YOUR HOME AND TAKE PART IN NATIONAL SAFE MEDICATION DISPOSAL DAY THIS SATURDAY APRIL 30TH AND EVERY DAY. 

All Medications can be dropped off at either location 7 days a week / 24 hours a day:

Melrose Police Dept.
56 West Foster Street
Melrose, MA 02176
(781)-665-1212

Wakefield Police Dept. 
1 Union Street
Wakefield, MA 01880
 (781)-246-6321

What else can I do?
The first step for parents is to recognize the potential risks and consequences of prescription and over-the counter drug abuse and to help teens understand them as well. Learn the signs and symptoms of abuse and tips on how to talk to your teens.
Three important things can be done to help prevent your child from misusing prescription or over-the counter medications:  Educate, Communicate and Safeguard.
    •    Educate yourself about medications that kids are abusing. Share this information with others who are in contact with your children: teachers, school administrators, coaches, & counselors.
    •    Communicate with your kids. Discuss the subject with your teenagers. See what your kids know about peers using medications without doctors' orders. Research shows teens believe experimenting with medications are safer than street drugs. Abuse of medications can be lethal. Set clear expectations with your teenagers, letting them know that under no circumstances should they ever take medications without your knowledge.
    •    Safeguard medications at home and other places. Ask your healthcare provider if any medications prescribed for your family have a potential for abuse. Take an inventory of prescription and OTC medications in your home. Pay attention to quantities. Keep medications out of reach and out of easily accessible places like the medicine cabinet. If your child needs medications during school hours, speak with school officials about policies for distributing medications to students. If possible, personally take the medications to the school nurse. Make sure unused medications are returned to you.
Let your teen know where you stand.  When you talk about drugs and alcohol, include prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the conversation. To learn more, visit www.theantidrug.com OR www.timetotalk.org.