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Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 15th opportunity in 7 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 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 United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

“These drug take back days are so important,” said Brandon Kern, Ohio Farm Bureau senior director for strategic partnerships and policy outreach. “One thing we’ve learned from the expert partners we talk to in the fight against opioid addiction is that too often it starts when young people have access to prescription drugs in the home of a family member or friend. Misuse of those prescriptions can turn into a tragic downward spiral of addition.”

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.

Find a collection site at the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website, and other resources through the Farm Town Strong website. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Through Farm Town Strong, American Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union have teamed up to bring attention to the opioid epidemic in farm country and provide information and resources to help those struggling with opioid abuse.

Ohio Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureaus continue to pursue solutions to the opioid crisis in Ohio communities.

Online extras:

Drug Crisis Comes to Rural Ohio

County Farm Bureaus work on drug abuse prevention

Teens learn about opioid epidemic, prevention