LYNDON, Kan. – Local law enforcement officers will join others across the state this Saturday in setting up locations to collect unused medications for safe disposal.

A collection site for Osage County will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 26, 2019, at the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, 131 W. 14th St., Lyndon, Kan.

The collection event is part of a nationwide effort to safely dispose of leftover medications to prevent accidental or intentional misuse. This year, the collection sites will also collect vapes and vape cartridges for disposal.

Since the Drug Take-Back Day program began in 2010, more than 88 tons of unwanted medications have been collected and destroyed in Kansas alone. The National Drug Take-Back Day is coordinated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which collects and safely destroys the medications.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates opioid overdoses kill 130 Americans every day. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, pharmaceutical opioids are a leading cause of drug poisoning deaths in Kansas.

Studies show a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that traditional methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards and should be avoided.

Unused prescriptions can be turned in year-round at many local law enforcement locations. For more information about local collections, contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office or local police departments. To find a collection site near you, see https://takebackday.dea.gov/