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

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

On Oct. 29, people can drop off expired and/or unused prescription drugs at the .

The service is free and anonymous—no questions asked.

"We've had a real good turnout before," Fenton Police Chief Rick Aro said. "We had several hundreds pounds turned in across the county."

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.

During the first nationwide take back program on Sept. 25, 2010, Americans turned in 121 tons of drugs at more than 7,000 sites around the country. A second event was held April 25, 2011, and collected 188 tons of pills at nearly 5,400 sites, taking the total collected so far to 309 tons.

Four days after the first nationwide event, 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.

“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” organizers said in a written statement. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

"Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet."

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.