Unsure of how to dispose of expired or unwanted medication for yourself or your furry friends?
National Prescription Take Back Day will be held from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday, April 29 in Butler, Carter, Reynolds, Ripley and Stoddard counties.
The Drug Enforcement Agency's initiative aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of prescription drugs while in-turn educating the public about the potential for prescription drug abuse and trafficking.
According to Butler County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Wes Popp, take back day removes an opportunity for prescription drug users.
"Many folks steal meds from friends and family members," Popp said. "Anything they can get their hands on, they'll take and they'll either use it or sell it."
Popp suggests ridding kitchen and medicine cabinets, purses and vehicles of any unwanted or expired medication for disposal on April 29.
"It gets the opportunity out of there. It eliminates the opportunity, especially for people in and around your home, by making sure any medication is not readily available," he said.
During 2016's take back day, nearly 900 thousand pounds of prescription drugs were collected across 5,400 sites in all 50 states, setting a record for the largest amount collected since the program began in 2010. Missouri residents contributed 43,975 pounds to the national total.
According to the DEA's website, eight out of 10 new heroin users began by abusing prescription painkillers and moved to heroin when they could no longer obtain or afford those painkillers.
By responsibly disposing of medications, not only is the chance of drug misuse and trafficking eliminated, but the choice is an environmentally conscious effort.
Flushing old medicine in the toilet or tossing it in the trash are not acceptable ways to get rid of unwanted prescriptions, as these methods could lead to contamination of public waters, according to the DEA.
The Butler County drop-off location is in the lobby of the Poplar Bluff Police Dept., and though the national event is next weekend, citizens are encouraged to utilize the collection bin year-round during the department's regularly scheduled office hours.
According to Poplar Bluff Chief of Police Danny Whiteley, the PBPD had the first take back box in Southeast Missouri.
"We have recovered thousands of pounds of medication in our take back box since its installation and I'm certain lives have been saved because of it," he said. "I admire and thank the public for their support in helping our kids."
The following is a list of drop off locations by county:
Butler County: Poplar Bluff Police Depart., 1111 Poplar Street in Poplar Bluff.
Stoddard County: Dexter Police Dept., 305 Cooper Street in Dexter and Puxico Police Dept., 141 N. Hickman Road in Puxico.
Ripley County: Doniphan City Police Dept., 126 W. Jefferson Street in Doniphan.
Carter County: Carter County Sheriff's Dept., 15 Sycamore Street in Van Buren.
Reynolds County; Reynolds County Sheriff's Dept., 2319 Green Street in Centerville.