Bring Unused Drugs To Forsyth Sheriff's Office Saturday

CUMMING, GA — If you have drugs in your home that you're not using, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office wants to take them off of your hands — and get them off of the streets.

Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the special days are designed to help deter prescription drug abuse.

According to the DEA, a majority of abused prescription drugs were gotten from family and friends, often taken from home medicine cabinets.

In Forsyth County, the sheriff's office actually accepts unwanted prescription drugs all the time. There are drug lockers located at the office's north and south precincts.

The south precinct is located at 2985 Ronald Reagan Blvd. and the north precinct is at 2310 Keith Bridge Rd. — both in Cumming.

People are welcome to drop off unwanted drugs in the lockers any time from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The DEA's last Prescription Drug Take Back Day, in April, set a new record, bringing in more than 900,000 pounds of drugs. It was the 13th take back day since the event was started in 2010 and, in all, the events have collected more than 8.1 million pounds of prescription drugs.

According to a 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs.

"Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands," acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said after the April event. "That's dangerous and often tragic."

To visit a collection site between Take Back Days, go here or to www.rxdrugdropbox.org .

Photo courtesy Forsyth County Sheriff's Office