Drug Take-Back Nets 70 Pounds of Pills

During a four-hour period one Saturday morning in April, Mahwah police officers say dozens of area residents went to the police station to turn in old prescriptions and unused medications.

According to the MPD, this spring’s “Operation Take-Back” netted 70 pounds of prescription drugs. The Operation, part of a national effort orchestrated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, asks residents to drop off unused prescription pills, no questions asked.

“We filled four garbage bags with the pills we collected,” Police Chief Jim Batelli said. “It’s good, we encourage people to drop off the pills. Though there is nothing illegal about these drugs, the amount we collect shows the availability of these drugs. Turning them in gets rid of the possibility of the drugs getting into the wrong hands.”

This April’s take-back marked the sixth time Mahwah has participated in the program. “Each time, we collect more than the time before,” Batelli said.

Nationally, the DEA reported April’s take-back collected 742, 497 pounds, or 371 tons, of pills. According to the DEA, this take-back collected 50% more than the one before, held last September.

More than 5,800 locations across the country participated in the take-back.

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