On April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Kirkland Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host a “Drug Take Back Event” where expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs can be accepted.

The service is free and anonymous.

Kirkland residents can bring medications for disposal to the Kirkland Police Department lobby located at the south entrance of City Hall, 123 Fifth Ave., Kirkland.

For more information about the campaign, go to www.nationaltakebackday.com/. To locate other collection sites by county, go to www.takebackyourmeds.org/.

Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds-over a thousand tons-of pills.

According to DEA, this initiative 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 U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including 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.

For more information on this event, please contact Lieutenant Nick Seibert at 425-587-3445 or nseibert@kirklandwa.gov.