TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey residents have a new online tool to help them locate where to drop off unneeded prescription drugs, Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday at an as part of the anti-opioid effort he is leading in the state and nationally.
Christie stopped at the Toms River Police Station to unveil a new feature to the ReachNJ.gov website that allows residents to find a nearby drug disposal site. The stop came as part of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is set for Saturday.
The event is aimed at educating people about possible drug abuse stemming from prescription medication. Christie said people can drop off the drugs no-questions-asked at police stations across the state as well as participating pharmacies.
“We’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem,” he said.
Christie cited federal health statistics that show more than 50,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2015, the latest figures available. That was more than the nearly 16,000 of people who died by homicide in 2014, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is marking National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday and also hosts a website allowing the public to locate nearby disposal sites.
Christie, a Republican, is heading a White House commission looking into the national opioid problem and dedicating his final year in office to the crisis in New Jersey. He said Wednesday he was at the White House as part of his efforts for the Trump administration, but didn’t specify further.
He has said he plans to submit a report to President Donald Trump, also a Republican, by October.
The DEA said the Saturday event is aimed at educating people about possible abuse involving prescription drugs.
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