HOLDREGE, Neb. –The Holdrege Police Department and Two Rivers Public Health Department are partnering for the DEA Sponsored Medication Take Back Event, Saturday, October 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The event will be held at the Holdrege Middle School South Driveway, 600 14^th Ave. Holdrege, Nebraska from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  All over the counter and prescriptions will be accepted.  No needles or sharps please.

According to TRPHD, unused medications may be accidental health threats to children and pets, can contaminate the environment when they get into ground water and can be scavenged from trash cans to be sold illegally.

At the Take Back event in April, 828 pounds of prescription medications were collected by 395 individuals in the four sites taking collections in the Two Rivers District.

More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.