By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
HAZLET — In response to the opioid epidemic, the Hazlet Township Police Department has announced its participation in Project Medicine Drop, an initiative sponsored by the state’s Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA).
Project Medicine Drop aims to curb prescription drug abuse by working with members of the community to reduce the number of unmonitored prescription drugs in their medicine cabinets, which could otherwise be stolen and used to get high. Douglas Collier, drug initiative coordinator and law enforcement liaison for the DCA, explained that the program is already active in 200 municipalities across the state.
As part of Project Medicine Drop, residents will be able to discard their expired or unused prescription medications at a secure drop box located inside the police station — anonymously and with no questions asked — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The police will dispose of them in a secure and environmentally safe manner. Hazlet also has a mobile drop box that the police plan on taking to public events and senior communities in order to increase the reach of the program.
