SPARKS — Local and federal agencies will partner to sponsor a prescription drug round-up event for Washoe County on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Local law enforcement agencies — the Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office — in collaboration with the DEA as well as Join Together Northern Nevada and many other community partners offer this event to the area’s citizens so they can drop off expired or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal. This keeps the medications from being diverted, abused or disposed of improperly.

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in our nation today, and has been declared an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2009, for the first time ever drug overdose deaths surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the number one cause of accidental deaths in the United States, largely due to the surge in prescription painkiller abuse. About one in five teens admit to abusing prescription drugs to get high, and the majority of those (about 70 percent) report that they got the drugs for free from friends and relatives, often by stealing them from medicine cabinets. The prescription drug round-up is one way to raise awareness of this problem, provide information and resources and reduce the availability of prescription drugs for abuse. The Truckee Meadows has held semi-annual prescription drug round-ups since October 2009.

Medications can be dropped off confidentially, with no questions asked. No identifying patient information will be collected. Bring medications in their original containers if possible, and feel free to mark out the patient’s name. Those dropping off medications will also receive educational materials as well as a free MedSafe locking medicine cabinet (limited supply available) to safely store their medications in the future. 

Round-up locations are as follows:

• Raley’s at 18144 Wedge Pkwy.

• Scolari’s at 1300 Disc Dr.

• Scolari’s at 8165 S. Virginia St.

• Save Mart at 565 E. Prater Way

• Save Mart at 9750 Pyramid Hwy.

• Walgreens at 10370 N. McCarran Blvd.

• Walmart at 4855 Kietzke Lane

For those not able to make it to the round-up, information on the proper disposal of unused or unwanted prescription drugs can be located at www.jtnn.org. More collection dates will be scheduled in the future.

For more information, call 657-4794.