Attorney General Mike DeWine
8,658 Pounds of Pills Discarded in Drop Box Program's First Year
DeWine Urges Residents to Take Advantage of DEA Drug Take-Back Day

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that residents in southern Ohio disposed of more than 8,600 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs by using drop boxes provided by the Attorney General's Office, Ohio Department of Health, and Drug Free Action Alliance.

"By disposing of these prescription drugs in a safe and secure way, it removes the chance of them potentially getting into the hands of children or those struggling with addiction," said Attorney General DeWine. "I encourage Ohioans who want to get rid of old prescription drugs to use one of the drop boxes or take advantage of the many locations during the DEA's annual Drug Take-Back events."

In October 2012, Attorney General DeWine announced that more than 60 southern Ohio law enforcement agencies would be awarded the prescription drug drop boxes to help fight prescription drug abuse in their communities. The secure mailbox-style disposal boxes are available to residents on a daily basis.

The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2013.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., prescription drug collection sites will be set up across the country to collect unwanted and unneeded prescription drugs. The initiative includes more than 200 locations in Ohio.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications.

"Seven of the 10 most commonly abused drugs by teenagers are prescription medications," said DEA Columbus Group Supervisor Mark McHugh. "Parents who once child-proofed their house must now teen-proof them by locking their medicine cabinets and disposing of their unwanted prescriptions."

According to the DEA, the non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America. The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family, friends, and their home medicine cabinets.

A list of collection sites participating in Saturday's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day can be found on the DEA's website.

A list of prescription drug drop boxes provided by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Ohio Department of Health, and Drug Free Action Alliance can be found on the Attorney General's website.