TAKE BACK: Claremont Police Want Your Old Rx Drugs

The Claremont Police Department will host a local prescription drug turn-in event this weekend as part of a national campaign aimed at drawing awareness to the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

The event will be held Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the police station on Bonita Avenue.

"Prescription drugs in the wrong hands can have deadly consequences and drugs flushed down the toilet pollute our water ways," an announcement from the police department states.  "Do your part by bringing your prescription drugs in their original containers to the Police Station on Bonita Avenue."

The Claremont event is part of the National Take Back Initiative, an event that's sponsored by the the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to draw attention to the dangers of prescription medication abuse.  It will be held held nationwide on Saturday.

Last year, more than 250 pounds of drugs were collected at the Claremont event, the department said.  

Across the United States, more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of prescription medications were removed from circulation during the previous five events.