National Initiative Aims to Get Unwanted Prescription Drugs out of Wyandotte Residents' Medicine Cabinets

Unwanted prescription drugs can be turned in legally and safely Saturday through a program jointly sponsored by the city of Wyandotte and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., people can drop off expired and/or unused prescription drugs at the .

The service is free and anonymous—no questions asked.

The National Take Back Initiative is aimed at preventing pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous drugs.

More than 7 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the DEA. About 2,500 teens use prescription drugs each day to get high for the first time, the DEA said.

This is the fourth national take back event. In the three previous collections, nearly a million pounds—almost 500 tons—of pills were turned in.

Four days after the first nationwide event on Sept. 25, 2010, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which allows a medication user to dispose of drugs by delivering them to entities authorized by the U.S. attorney general.

“The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs,” DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said in a written statement. “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.”

Officials said they hope the program will curb people from flushing drugs down the toilet or throwing them away in the trash, both of which pose potential safety and health hazards.