The Boonville Police and Fire Departments are scheduled to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Take-Back Day, accepting unwanted prescription drugs at the fire department at 500 Bingham Road Saturday, October 23.

The event is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This will be the 17th time in 10 years the agencies have teamed up to give the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

You are urged to bring your pills for disposal. However, the DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps- only pills or patches.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

If you cannot turn in your unwanted prescription drugs on that date, you can drop them off at the Boonville Police Department at 401 East Morgan Street any time before the event.

Authorities say “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. Studies show that 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 their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines- flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash- both pose potential safety and health hazards.”

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about this Take Back Day event- including a location near you, go to the DEA Diversion’s website at <http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html>.