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Don't Flush Old Drugs; Collections Happen Across MN

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you have some old prescription pills in the medicine cabinet don't throw them out because they could end up in the wrong hands if you aren't careful.

That's why places across the state are giving you the opportunity to safely get rid of unwanted, unused and expired medicine at collection events this weekend.

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said, "We're trying to give them a safe and environmentally-friendly way of disposing it properly."

Stanek said medicines flushed down the drain or tossed in the trash end up in landfills or can contaminate bodies of water, harm wildlife and end up in drinking water supplies.

Old pills in the home also pose health threats too. Expired medicine can lead to poisoning or drug abuse.

"Prescription drug abuse is one of the fastest growing problems in both the metro area as well as the United States," said Stanek. "Our job is to help educate parents and young people about those dangers and try and remove them from the households."

He said the majority of teens abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends and from the home medicine cabinet.

According to Hennepin County Officials, the non-medical use of prescriptions ranks second only to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in America.

You can drop off your unused prescription or over-the-counter drugs at 46 sites around the state Saturday. Click here for a full list of sites in Hennepin County and here for other locations.

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