Ocean City To Host Prescription Drug Take Back Day At 2 Drop-Off Sites

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City residents will have two local options to dispose of unwanted prescription medications during the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25.

The Ocean City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will participate in the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with collection sites at the lobby of the Ocean City Public Library, 1735 Simpson Ave., and the Ocean City Police Department, 837 8th St. at 8th and Boardwalk.

According to the event announcement, the DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs. The event is intended to help people remove medications that are old, unwanted or expired from their homes.

The announcement states that, for more than a decade, the event has helped Americans “easily rid their homes of unneeded medications — those that are old, unwanted, or expired — that too often become a gateway to addiction.” Take Back Day provides free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide, according to the announcement.

Ocean City’s collection effort is being conducted through the police department in partnership with the DEA. The announcement states that, in partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 8,300 tons of medication from circulation since the program began.

Not every item will be accepted at the drop-off sites. Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps and illicit drugs, according to the announcement. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original containers, and the cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.

For more information, the announcement lists Ptl. Michael Gray of the Ocean City Police Department at 609-525-9110 or mgray@ocnj.us.