On October 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Wareham Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring pills for disposal to WPD Headquarters at 2515 Cranberry Highway. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps; only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

The National Drug Take Back Day initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.

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.

Medicines that remain left in home cabinets are susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, or the October 22nd Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control web site.