ELTINGVILLE — Kits that destroy addictive prescription pills are being handed out as a way to help curb opioid abuse in Staten Island.
The pouches have a carbon bind that, when mixed with water, attach to the ingredients in the pills and breaks them down, according to maker Verde Technology. They can then be sealed and safely thrown in the trash.
Mallinckrodt donated 10,000 of the kits to Delco Drugs and Specialty Pharmacy in Eltingville where residents can grab one, Assemblyman Michael Cusick and a group of elected officials announced Tuesday.
"As the opioid and heroin epidemic continues to rage, we must remain aware that for many addicts, their experience with opioids began with prescription pills found in their medicine cabinet," Cusick said in a statement.
"The distribution of 10,000 drug deactivation pouches throughout our borough will lead to the safe destruction of these addictive drugs, eliminating the possibility that they are abused."
During a 2016 survey of people prescribed opioids nationwide, six out of 10 reported they had leftover pills, according to a report in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.
The majority of people who abuse the pills get them for free from friends or family, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Aside from the pouches, Staten Islanders can also discard unused opioid pills at drop off boxes in the borough's NYPD precincts.
"Many Staten Islanders suffering from addiction oftentimes resort to rummaging through a relative’s medicine cabinet in order to find their next fix," District Attorney Michael McMahon said in a statement.
"While law enforcement has taken steps to combat this problem — including launching a program to add secure drop-off boxes for unused prescription pills to each of the borough’s police precincts as well as the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day scheduled for this Saturday — we can always do more to ensure that these highly addictive medications do not fall into the wrong hands."
