Do you have any pharmaceutical pills that you don't need anymore? This weekend the La Vergne Police Department, with the help of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is hosting a Drug Take Back Day to help citizens safely dispose of their old medications.

La Vergne Officers will be outside City Hall (5093 Murfreesboro Road, La Vergne, TN 37086) on Saturday, April 20th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. They cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps; only pill or patches will be collected. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

The Drug Take Back Day is part of the annual Drug Take Back program organized by the DEA. Last April nearly 950,000 pounds of pills were collected at more than 5,800 collection sites by more than 4,600 law enforcement agencies. Overall, in its 16 previous Take Back events the DEA and its partners have taken in almost 11 million pounds of pills. The La Vergne Police collected 178 pounds in October 2018 and 133.5 pounds in April 2018.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that go unused and expire 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. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else's medication being stolen 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.