TOPEKA – Law enforcement officers across the state will be collecting unused medications for safe disposal on Saturday, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Monday.
 The collection events are part of a nationwide effort to safely dispose of leftover medications to prevent accidental or intentional misuse. Since the program began in 2010, the semi-annual event has collected more than 22 tons of medications in Kansas alone.
Area agencies and collection locations include: Larned Police Department, Shopko, 908 E. 14th Larned; Stafford Police Department, Stafford County Hospital, 502 S. Buckeye Stafford; and Sterling Police Department, Sterling Fire Department, 115 N. Broadway Ave., Sterling.
 Medications will be accepted at drop-off sites across the state from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. To find other locations, visit www.ag.ks.gov and click on the “Got Drugs?” icon.
“Unused medications are dangerous for kids, pets and the environment,” Schmidt said. “Getting these leftover medicines out of the medicine cabinets keeps them from falling into the wrong hands and makes our communities safer.”
 The National Drug Take-Back Day is coordinated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which collects and safely destroys the medications.
 Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that traditional methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards and should be avoided.
 Unused prescriptions can be turned in year-round at many local law enforcement locations. Kansans should contact their local sheriff’s office or police department for more information.