The Coupeville Marshal’s Office will be accepting potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at Coupeville Town Hall, 4 N.E. Seventh St. Bring  medications for disposal to Town Hall. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

The Take Back event is being held in conjunction with collections in Oak Harbor and Freeland, through Oak Harbor police and Island County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Last October, Americans turned in nearly 324 tons of prescription drugs at 5,683 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its seven previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners took in over 3.4 million pounds — more than 1,700 tons — of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines —flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.