Media cover Drug Take Back Day

The Portland Press Herald, MPBN radio, and the Sun Chronicle previewed Drug Take Back Day, which will take place Saturday, April 28, 2012. UNE's College of Pharmacy and Coastal Health Communities Coalition are among the many partners involved in the state and national program.

The stories explain that in three past events, Maine collected more drugs per capita than any other state. The collection efforts have taken on special urgency in Maine, which has one of the nation's highest rates of addiction to prescription painkillers. Hundreds of Maine babies are born each year into opiate withdrawal, and more Mainers are killed by prescription drug overdoses than traffic accidents. William Paterson, substance abuse prevention project director at UNE's CHCC, was interviewed for the MPBN story.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.