SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The South Hutchinson Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 14th opportunity in 7 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs with the Drug Take Back Program this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring your pills for disposal to the South Hutchinson Police Department at 10 E. Blanchard Ave., South Hutchinson. The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Last April, Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners.

Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds — more than 4,050 tons — of pills. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. 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.

Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — pose potential safety and health hazards.