RAHWAY – Rahway residents who want to rid their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs in a safe and non-hazardous manner will be able to do so on Saturday, April 28. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m.., The Rahway Police Department will be hosting "Operation Take Back New Jersey" at the Rahway Police Headquarters, located at 1 City Hall Plaza.

Prescription drug abuse is rapidly becoming one of our nation’s greatest emerging drug problems and it is widely recognized that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from home medicine cabinets.

According to the 2011 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. Additionally, the survey reported for the 3^rd year in a row that prescription drugs are the 2^nd most abused drug category behind only marijuana.

The goal of "Operation Take Back New Jersey" is to allow the citizens of New Jersey to deliver all of their unused, unwanted, or expired medications to law enforcement officials who can in turn dispose of these controlled substances in a safe and non-hazardous manner, preventing these pills from falling into the hands of juveniles or into the illicit market in our communities.

In addition to this growing drug problem, unused and expired prescription medications also represent a severe environmental hazard. Most individuals are not aware of methods to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away; both potential safety and health hazards.

In 2011, Operation Take Back New Jersey was a tremendous success collecting over 14,400 pounds of potentially dangerous medications.

Nationwide the program collected 245,500 pounds of unwanted, unused or expired medication.