Special to Iredell Free News

The Statesville Police Department will participate in the DEA-sponsored National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SPD personnel will collect expired, unused, and unwanted medications from community members looking to properly dispose of these medications at the Walgreen’s located at 951 Davie Avenue in Statesville.

In the Spring 2022 National Take Back Day, the Statesville Police Department collected and disposed of 138 pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted medications as a result of our take back efforts.

According to the DEA, drug overdose deaths are up 16 percent in the last year, claiming more than 290 lives every day. According to a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a majority of people who misused a prescription medication obtained the medicine from a family member or friend.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States more than 106,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021, marking the most drug-related deaths ever recorded, with opioid-related deaths accounting for 75 percent of all overdose deaths.