The Office of Attorney General has joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement officials from across the country in support of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said the program, scheduled for April 26 is an effort to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for proper disposal and destruction. The service is free and anonymous.

The last National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day was held on November 3 in all 50 states and collected more than 647,000 pounds – 324 tons – of prescription medications. Law enforcement partners from across the country have removed more than 3.4 million pounds (1,733 tons) of medication from circulation since the program began in 2010.

"Demographically, we are seeing an alarming increase in abuse of prescription medications among middle and high school students," Attorney General Kane said. "The first place they find these drugs is in medicine cabinets. I encourage everyone to visit a drop location on April 26 and safely dispose of unwanted medications before they fall into the wrong hands."

The continuing national initiatives to collect expired or unwanted prescription drugs provide excellent opportunities for those who may have missed previous events or who may have accumulated additional prescriptions to dispose of them safely.

Prescription drug abuse in the United States is increasing in an alarming rate. The Office of Attorney General has arrested hundreds of individuals for illegally diverting prescription drugs including doctors, nurses and medical professionals.

A common misconception with prescription drug disposal is that it is safe to flush unwanted medicine down the toilet or simply throw them away. However, these options pose potential health and safety hazards.

Collection will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 26.  A complete list of collection sites is available at the DEA website. The Office of Attorney General encourages participation in this safe, legal and environmentally friendly way of disposing prescription medications.

4/21/2014