Tomorrow marks the national Prescription Drug Take Back Day where residents can safely get rid of unused or expired prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers to keep them out of the hands of addicts.

It's a no-questions-asked service and free; locations include local police stations and event Metro RTA's visitors parking lot. Drop-offs will be accepted between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon. 

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(Senators Portman & Brown) Addictive prescription drugs that are thrown away or left untended on shelves and in drawers at home are often stolen and either abused or sold by family members and visitors. That’s why the DEA and thousands of its state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners are holding another Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 29, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M., at over 5,000 sites around the country, including more than 270 sites in Ohio.The service is free of charge, no questions asked. Both U.S. Senators are backing the effort as a way to support taking prescription painkillers out of household medicine cabinets.

America is experiencing an epidemic of addiction, overdose, and death due to abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioid painkillers. More than 6.4 million Americans age 12 and over -- 2.4 percent of the population -- abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health released last fall. That’s more than abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine combined. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, eclipsing deaths from motor vehicle crashes or firearms. The majority of prescription drug abusers report that they obtain their drugs from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Locations around greater Akron: