MARQUETTE — Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which aims to reduce the number of expired, unused and unwanted prescription pills that Americans have in their medicine cabinets. All 30 Michigan State Police posts will participate in the take-back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

“With opioid and prescription drug abuse, accidental poisonings and overdoses becoming all too common. I strongly urge Michiganders to use this opportunity to check what is in your medicine cabinet and then properly dispose of any medications you no longer need,” said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the Michigan State Police, in a news release.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, 64 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2015. These prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as “street drugs” when they are taken without medical supervision and a prescription, as expired or unused medication can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse. Many teenagers who abused prescription drugs obtained them from medicine cabinets of family and friends.

Because of this public safety issue, MSP and the DEA are urging residents to discard their expired, unused and unwanted prescription pills during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

People may anonymously surrender prescription pills by dropping them off at a post Saturday. All collected pills will be destroyed. Liquids, inhalers, patches or syringes will not be accepted.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is a combined effort between the DEA and other law enforcement agencies, is held twice a year, in April and October.

MSP posts collected roughly 802 pounds of prescription drugs during the last take-back day in October. Nationally, 456 tons of prescription drugs were collected at a total of 5,321 collection sites during the October take-back.

According to the DEA and MSP, drug take-back programs are the safest way to dispose of expired or unused drugs, as flushing unused drugs contaminates the water supply, and drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved, abused and/or illegally sold.

Disposing of prescription medications properly can help save lives and protect the environment. Recent research suggests that take-back programs can help reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals found in wastewater.

Drug take-back programs are the best way to dispose of drugs, according to the DEA. However, if a program is not available or accessible, they recommend the following course of action: “Take the meds out of their bottles; Mix them with something unappealing like used kitty litter or coffee grounds; Seal them in a bag or disposable container, and throw that away.”

Anyone who is unable to participate on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day can anonymously surrender their prescription drugs at any MSP post, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

MSP collection sites can be found at: https://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123-59471—,00.html. Additional sites across Michigan and more information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day can be found at: https://takebackday.dea.gov/

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248.