Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman today joined with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Commander Col. James C. Hodges to announce the installation of New Jersey’s “Project Medicine Drop” box at the Joint Base, the first Project Medicine Drop box to be installed at one of New Jersey’s military installations.
Acting Attorney General Hoffman said, “We are proud to bring Project Medicine Drop to the personnel and families of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and to expand the reach of this component in our fight against opiate abuse.”
The Project Medicine Drop box is installed at the 87th Security Forces Squadron, the equivalent of a police department for the approximately 38,000 individuals who live and work on the Joint Base.
The box will enable Joint Base personnel and their families to take an active role in the fight against the nationwide epidemic of opiate and heroin abuse, which often is fueled by the abuse of prescription painkillers. Individuals on the Joint Base may visit the Security Forces Squadron at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to dispose of their unused or excess medications.
Project Medicine Drop is an initiative of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, within the Office of the Attorney General. The Division of Consumer Affairs installs secure “prescription drug drop boxes” at law enforcement agencies (usually police departments, sheriff’s offices, and State Police barracks) across New Jersey, allowing citizens to safely dispose of their unused, excess, or expired prescription medications.
To date, the Division has installed 126 Project Medicine Drop boxes across New Jersey. Since the program’s launch in November 2011, New Jerseyans have disposed of more than 43,616 pounds, or 28.1 tons, of unused medications through this initiative. More than half of that total was dropped off during 2014 alone – indicating that the public’s use of Project Medicine Drop has expanded along with the number of available boxes statewide.
For more information on the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs' initiative to halt the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs, view the Division's NJPMP website, and the Division's Project Medicine Drop website.