Government & Politics
Overcoming Opioids: Big Increase in Prescription Drugs Collected at Drop Boxes in CT
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More and more, Connecticut residents are taking smart precautions to keep opioid prescriptions out of the wrong hands as they use drop-off prescription collection boxes around the state, Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement released Wednesday. Darien has one of the boxes in the lobby of Police Headquarters at 25 Hecker Ave. Here’s the announcement (boldface added):
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the State of Connecticut saw a dramatic increase in the amount of unused prescription medications that residents dropped off at collection boxes during 2016, with the state collecting a total of 33,803 pounds worth of various medications throughout the year. That amounts to a 43 percent increase compared to the amount that residents dropped off in 2015, when 23,651 pounds of unused drugs were collected by the state. “The increasing amount of unwanted medication that’s being collected at our drop-off boxes is a good sign that people in our state are taking the epidemic of prescription drug abuse seriously,” said Governor Malloy, who this year has introduced a legislative package of initiatives to further the state’s efforts with combating opioid addiction and overdoses.