Saturday is the National Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) take back day where citizens can discard unused prescription medicine. 

Unneeded prescription medications that are old, unwanted, or no longer needed are a public safety issue and too often become a gateway to addiction according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The majority of opioid addictions start with prescription pills found in medicine cabinets at home and a majority of people who misuse a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend. 

According to the DEA, The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting. Saturday’s drug take back event is from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm and local collection sites include the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, The Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pella Police Department.