New Jersey Families Challenged to Tackle Prescription Drug Misuse

Accessible, Safe Medicine Disposal Locations Available Throughout the State

Millburn, NJ, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, November 14, communities across the state will participate in the 18th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge – New Jersey (AMCC-NJ) Day of Awareness of Prescription Drugs and Safe Disposal, a public health initiative created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) to help increase understanding about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and empower families to safeguard their homes through the five-step challenge.

Safe disposal reduces access to unwanted medications that could be misused or accidentally swallowed by children. According to SAMHSA’s 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 42.3 percent of people age 12 or older who misused prescription pain relievers obtained the medicine they most recently misused from a friend or relative. Taking unused, unwanted and expired medications to a collection site removes them from the home, reducing opportunities for someone to take medicine that was not prescribed for them.

“Medicine safety deserves attention at every age,” Angelo M. Valente, CEO of AMCC and Executive Director of PDFNJ. “We encourage parents to talk with their children about prescription drug misuse and older adults to ask their healthcare providers questions about the medicines they take. Safely disposing of prescriptions that are no longer needed reduces the chance that a child will find them or someone else will take them. It’s a practical step families can take together.”

The five steps of AMCC include taking inventory of medicine; securing medicine chests; taking medicine only as prescribed; safely disposing of unused, unwanted and expired medicine; and, most importantly, talking to children about the dangers of prescription drugs.

The need for education also extends to older adults. There were 278 suspected overdose deaths among older adults in New Jersey in 2025.

“Talking with children about prescription drug misuse remains essential, and older adults need to be part of these conversations, too,” Valente said. “Many older adults manage chronic pain and multiple prescriptions, making it especially important to discuss medicine safety with them.”

The American Medicine Chest Challenge is the home of the national registry of permanent collection sites where people can safely dispose of their unwanted, expired and unused medicine. There are over 220 sites in New Jersey and nearly 2,000 permanent disposal sites nationwide in 47 states and Washington, D.C. To find a site near you, visit the newly updated AmericanMedicineChest.com.

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Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication.  To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 233 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide medi

Lisa Batitto
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
973-467-2100
news@drugfreenj.org