Many of us have expired, unwanted, and unused drugs in our medicine cabinets and don’t how to dispose of them.

Now, the Drug Enforcement Agency (the DEA) and the Tucson Police Department are working closely together to take back unwanted drugs and dispose of them properly.

This is a new project called Dispose-A-Med, which government officials launched to prevent and reduce the potential for abuse of prescription drugs.

“This particular effort of taking back prescription drugs is extremely successful,” said Ed Dunin-Wasowicz, Media Advisor for the Pima County Community Prevention Coalition. “Last year about this time, we collected 2000 pounds of drugs”

A 2010 federal government survey estimated that seven million Americans ages 12 or older are prescription-type drug abusers. Many get drugs from family or friends.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America estimates that 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time each day.

Dispose-A-Med is a public event held at the Pima County Sheriff's Department. The schedule is posted on the DEA’s website. Anyone who has unwanted drugs can participate, and no question will be asked.

This is a safe way to get rid of drugs without having them return to the ecosystem.

“The thing about proper disposal is if people flush them down the toilet or wash them down the sink or just throw them in a trash can,” said Deanna Lewis, founder of Dequenesh Community Clinic. “You know they could end up in places where we would not want to find, such as water source, which can be an issue.”

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