On Saturday, Oct 29, the Seattle Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Last April, Seattle residents helped Washington state collect more than 8,535 pounds of unused or unwanted medicine (that’s roughly 4.25 million pills in a single day) during National Drug Take Back Day.

National Drug Take Back Day highlights the critical need for permanent safe drug disposal programs to reduce the rising rates of prescription drug abuse, overdoses, and accidental poisonings. In Washington state, drug overdose is the most common cause of accidental death, superseding car accidents, with an average of two deaths per day; and medicine cabinets are the new drug dealers.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, more than three out of five teens say prescription pain relievers are easy to get from parents’ or grandparents’ medicine cabinets. Still, Washington does not have a permanent take back program for controlled substances and over-the-counter medicines. So single-day events like the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day, are a prime opportunity to safely dispose of your unwanted prescription drugs.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. at each of the city's precincts. Ballardite should take their drugs to the Seattle Police Department North Precinct, 10049 College Way North.

To learn more about Take Back Your Meds and the need for a permanent drug take back program in Washington state visit: http://www.takebackyourmeds.org.