{"312101":{"#nid":"312101","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Police Department Installs Medication Deposit Box","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor anyone who has unused medications taking up space in a cabinet, the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) now provides a safe solution for disposal.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new MedReturn drop box in the lobby of GTPD headquarters on Hemphill Avenue provides an anonymous one-way deposit for disposing of any medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter, including pills, patches, ointments, vitamins, samples, and even pet medications.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of police agencies have them, and we see it as a way to make the community safer and also as an opportunity to educate about the dangers that unused and expired prescription drugs pose when not properly disposed of,\u201d said Captain Randy Barrone, who oversees the GTPD Crime Prevention Unit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe non-medical use of controlled substance medications is at a national all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe GTPD Crime Prevention team will transfer deposited items to a secure storage space before safely disposing of them. The program is an extension of National Take Back Prescription Day, which is designed to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft, and to prevent drug disposal from creating environmental hazards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStamps Health Services provides a similar service for medications that are dispensed by its medical professionals, and will also soon install its own MedReturn box.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOK for donation:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOver-the-counter or prescription pills, patches, medications, ointments\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EVitamins\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESamples\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPet medications\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENot OK for donation:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThermometers\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInhalers\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENon-prescription lotions or liquids\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStock from businesses or clinics\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENeedles\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAerosol cans\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHydrogen peroxide bottles\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew MedReturn box provides anonymous drop-off point for unused medications.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New MedReturn box provides anonymous drop-off point for unused medications."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-08-04 09:52:48","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:48","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-08-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-08-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/police.gatech.edu\/","title":"GTPD"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2408","name":"campus safety"},{"id":"2543","name":"GTPD"},{"id":"98851","name":"prescription drugs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}