The Drug Enforcement Administration is urging people to clean out their medicine cabinets.
DEA special Agent Dustin Gillespie is calling on the community to clear out expired or unneeded prescriptions this Saturday to help curb the cycle of addiction and prevent accidental poisonings at home.
All of this is part of the agency's annual Drug Take Back Day.
"There are a few restrictions," he says. "So, we don't collect syringes or sharps, and no illicit drugs. So this is not an opportunity to drop off methamphetamine or heroin, those types of things. We're looking for prescription drugs. If it's in a liquid form, we just ask that it be sealed up in the original container."
Gillespie says by providing a safe and anonymous way to dispose of these substances, the event removes the risk of medications falling into the wrong hands or being flushed into the local water supply.
Participating are local pharmacies and municipal sites across U.S., which will open up as free, anonymous drop-off points.
"We want to get them out of our pantries, our medicine cabinets, so that we prevent that misuse," Gillespie adds. "We prevent those criminal actions from happening in the first place."
He says officials will weigh the total haul to see if this year’s efforts can top the 19,000 pounds of prescription medications collected during last year's drive.
The Saturday event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You can find exact locations on the DEA website here.
