Whenever the phrase “War On Drugs” is mentioned, too often people tend to think of illicit substances like heroin, cocaine, meth and marijuana. And while this class of drugs is problematic, prescription drugs, which are so much more readily accessible, tend to be overlooked. Not only are the latter dangerous in the hands of kids and teens looking to experiment, once they’ve expired, prescription drugs continue to pose problems in how they’re disposed of, particularly if people decide to flush them as a way of keeping them out of the wrong hands. The problem then becomes one of potentially contaminating wells and the water table. To that end, the Garden City Police Department and the Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment (CCFTE) have joined forces to set up a drug collection box in the lobby area of the police station, located at 349 Stewart Ave. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week , is free and donors can be anonymous with no questions asked. Narcotics, non-narcotics and veterinary medications are all eligible to be disposed of while needles and sharps, liquid forms of prescription medication and bio-hazardous materials are not to be dropped in the box. With this small but significant program being instituted, this portion of the drug war winds up benefiting the community and the environment.
—Dave Gil de Rubio
