WEEKLY UPDATE: 10/30/25
The Governor’s Prevention Partnership announced on Wednesday, October 29, the state will be distributing 50,000 Deterra drug deactivation and disposal pouches to families across Connecticut every year for five years as part of the Prevention Starts With You project. Homes with children will be prioritized, and the kits will include instructions in both English and Spanish, as well as an accompanying “conversation starter” printout.
The pouches deactivate prescription and over-the-counter medications, liquids, patches, and creams. They can be used anywhere, anytime, and thrown into the regular household trash, reducing the risk of both misuse and a negative environmental impact.
“This project shows what’s possible when state agencies, legislators, and prevention partners work together toward a common goal — keeping our children and families safe,” said Kelly Juleson, co-president of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, at a Capitol news briefing this week.
The partnership, along with partner organizations and agencies in the region, distributed 50,000 conversation starters and drug deactivation and disposal pouches to residents of Greater Hartford and New Haven in 2024, eliminating more than two million unwanted pills or medications. Juleson said the distribution corresponded with a 26% decrease in overdoses statewide.
The initiative is funded by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) through the state’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.
The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, a public-private organization founded in 1989, is dedicated to leveraging business and government resources to prevent underage drinking and substance use, increase young people’s access to quality mentoring, and build strategic alliances to promote the overall well-being of Connecticut’s future workforce.
Click here to learn more about The Governor Prevention Partnership’s Prevention Starts With You project.
