Murfreesboro Police and other partners are asking the general public to “surrender” prescription drugs at a “Drug Take Back” disposal site.

The Murfreesboro Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) and the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of Rutherford County (C.A.D.C.O.R.) are all co-working together to make another successful prescription “Drug Take Back” day. Our new partner we have added this year is the Middle Tennessee Medical Center (M.T.M.C.) which is the host site.

The event will be held Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. in the parking lot of Middle Tennessee Medical Center located at 1700 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro. Citizens are encouraged to come to the drive-up location and remain in their vehicles to drop off their medications.

We are requesting that all expired or unused drugs be left in their original labeled prescription bottles or packages so they may be properly identified. Please do not bring any drug not in an unlabeled container. No personal identifying information will be recorded or kept. All containers will be destroyed along with the drugs.

Any non-prescription drugs will also be accepted provided they are in their original containers.

This event addresses serious public safety and public health issues. According to the 2009 Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey, more than 7 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. Approximately 2,500 teenagers use prescription drugs to get high every day.

According to the D.E.A., nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have participated in the past two events in 2010 and 2011 gathering more than 309 tons of pills.