Got old prescriptions that you don’t need?

If so, the Rexburg Police Department will take them off your hands during its annual Prescription Drug Take Back scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday outside of Walmart.

The event is being held in conjunction with the National Prescription Drug Take Back also scheduled Saturday, said Rexburg Police Lt. Dustin Hirschi who is overseeing the program.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t really use all of their prescriptions,” Hirschi said. “We’re trying to make them dispose of them the right way instead of throwing them out where other people can get to them or by flushing them down the toilet and getting into the city’s systems.”

Following Saturday’s event, Hirschi will give the old prescriptions to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“They destroy them,” Hirschi said.

On its webpage, DEA reports that when people turn in unneeded medications, it helps reduce drug-related violence.

“The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat,” it said. “DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.”

During its October 2021 take back day, DEA reported that 4,276 police departments participated in the event, and that a total of 744,082 pounds of unneeded drugs were received.

Throughout the year, the Rexburg Police Department accepts old prescriptions via a secure drop box located in its office, Hirschi said.

“We actually collect quite a bit throughout the year. The bin sits in our front lobby. People bring in prescriptions every day,” he said. “I think we’re getting ready to send some away. We’ve got five or six big boxes of prescriptions to send.”

During previous take back days, the Rexburg Police Department has gathered at least one box full of prescriptions, and Hirschi expects to do so again on Saturday. Holding a Saturday event allows for those unable to drop off old prescriptions during the week, to do so over the weekend, Hirschi said.

Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman encouraged residents to clean out their medicine cabinets of old prescriptions and to drop them off with the police department.

“It helps get rid of those narcotic type things you don’t want kids or other family members getting ahold of to abuse. This is a safe way they can get rid of those,” he said.

For more information on the Prescription Drug Take Back, call the police department at 208-359-3000 or visit dea.gov/takebackday.