The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will collect expired, unused and unwanted prescription medication Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Lincoln City Police Department and Lincoln City Community Center as part of its 17th annual National Prescription Take Back Day.

A total of 230 collection sites across the Pacific Northwest will participate with 19 collection sites in Alaska, 45 in Idaho, 61 in Oregon and 105 in Washington.

The service is free of charge, no questions asked.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis of the Pacific Northwest Region emphasized, “All of our Northwest communities need to take this opportunity of disposing unused prescription medications in a safe and simple process. This consciousness effort may be lifesaving.”

Last October, residents of Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska turned in 35,017 pounds (17 tons) of prescription medications.

Oregon was responsible for 60 collection sites which resulted in 12,492 pounds (6.2 tons) removed from circulation.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative addresses a critical public safety and public health issue. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to be alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Because the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have advised the public that flushing their prescription drugs down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards, DEA launched its prescription drug take back program to encourage the safe disposal of medications.

Now in its ninth year, DEA has collected a total of nearly 11 million pounds (more than 5,400 tons) of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications through its Take Back Day events.

The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps.)