Nassau to Accept Unused, Expired and Illegal drugs

Nassau to accept unused, expired and illegal drugs

By Ann Givens

Nassau County will try something new in its efforts to fight drug addiction among residents: Ask them to turn in their unused, expired and even illegal drugs.

Nassau officials say many teenagers who become addicted to heroin - a drug that has been wreaking havoc in Nassau County in recent years - started by getting addicted to prescription pills that they found in their parents' medicine chests, particularly opiates like OxyContin and Percocet.

Once the prescription drugs run dry, the teens find heroin, which is cheap and readily available in many forms, to be the easy substitute, officials said.

"Once teenagers are addicted to prescription drugs, they look for where else they can get the same high, and too often the answer is heroin," Suozzi said.

The anonymous program, which will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at every Nassau police precinct and at Sen. Michael J. Tully Jr. Park, 1801 Evergreen Ave. in New Hyde Park, was inspired by a similar program implemented by North Hempstead in June.

That program was started more as a way to keep dangerous pharmaceuticals out of local water systems, said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman. The North Hempstead drug take-back resulted in 400 pounds of drugs being turned in, including Tamiflu, Xanax, Vicodin, OxyContin, Ambien, methadone and veterinary drugs. The oldest medication was a vial of sleeping pills that had been prescribed in the pharmacy at Macy's Herald Square in 1966, officials said.

For Saturday's drug take-back, accepted medications include painkillers, tranquilizers, antidepressants, antibiotics, over-the-counter drugs, pet medications, vitamins, supplements, and inhalants, officials said.

Illegal drugs may also be dropped off anonymously, officials said. Drugs should be in their original containers if possible, and if not, placed in plastic bags that are labeled. They will be safely disposed of, officials said. Needles, syringes, IV bags, infectious waste, pharmaceutical waste not generally used by households, radioactive pharmaceuticals and vaccines will not be accepted, officials said.