On Sept. 26 from 9am-1pm the Truckee Police Department and Tahoe Truckee Future Without Drug Dependence will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring medications for disposal to the Gateway Shopping Center parking lot in front of Safeway at 11290 Donner Pass Road. Remove pills from containers. Sharps and aerosols are not accepted.

This event is for residents only; no businesses or DEA registrants.

In the previous nine National Take-Back events from 2010-14, approximately 277,595 pounds or 138 tons of unused medication was collected from Northern California and Central Valley residents.  Nationwide, 2,411 tons of drugs were collected.

“Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to 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,” Truckee police said in a statement. “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.”