Charleston County Sheriff’s Office prescription drop-off event April 28

Area police departments are teaming up with the Drug Enforcement Administration to help area residents rid their homes of unwanted drugs.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office will accept expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs Saturday at its headquarters, 3505 Pinehaven Drive in North Charleston. People can drop off their medications for disposal in the front lobby from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, sheriff’s Maj. Jim Brady said. The drugs will be carted away and disposed of by the DEA, he said.

Charleston police are offering the same service that day during the Charleston Community Partnership’s “Healthy Families Summit II” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Mall Park.

The sheriff’s office has held drug drop-offs in the past with good response from the public, Brady said. The idea is to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired drugs and prevent pill abuse and theft, he said.

In October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds — 188.5 tons — of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.

In its three previous Take Back events, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its partners took in almost a million pounds — nearly 500 tons — of pills.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse, Brady said. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs, he said.

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, Brady said.

Charleston’s event is part of a larger Healthy Families Summit, which will also feature health screenings and information, healthy snacks, performances by local groups, door prizes and other offerings, said Carolyn Brown, Charleston’s Weed and Seed program coordinator.

The event will also coincide with the city’s Clean City Sweep, and a cleanup of Mall Park will occur during the summit, Brown said. Organizers are hoping at least 200 people will attend, she said.

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556.