BROWN COUNTY — Saturday, April 27 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Drug Take Back drop boxes are located in the Brown County Sheriff’s Office lobby, 15 S. Washington St., the Sleepy Eye Police Department lobby, 200 Main St. East; the Springfield Police Dept., 16 N. Marshall Ave., and at Comfrey City Hall, 120 Brown Street East.

The boxes are available for people to clean out their medicine cabinets of unused, unwanted and expired prescription drugs to be disposed of in a safe, secure manner. In addition, drugs that didn’t work for you, a family member or pet, drugs that are no longer used, medicine from deceased family members and unknown tables and capsules will be accepted.

Medications should be in their original containers if possible. Please do not bring thermometers, needles, liquids, sharp objects or medical waste of any type.

The service is free and anonymous.

Last year, more than 70,000 people in America died of drug overdoses. That is equivalent to the capacity of Minnesota’s U.S Bank Stadium with additional space needed for 4,000 more people.

In 2017, an estimated 3.2 million Americans age 12 or older reported misusing prescription pain relievers, making prescription opioids the second-most abused drug after marijuana in the United States.

Most prescription drug abusers said they got their drugs free from friends and family.

“In Minnesota, 2,503 people died of opioid overdoses between 2014 and 2017,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Richard Salter, Jr.. “They were mothers, fathers, children, friends and neighbors in our communities who didn’t need to die.”

Salter said National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a way for people to do their part to prevent overdose deaths by cleaning out their cabinets and those of loved ones.

To find a DEA Take Back site, visit ww.DEATakeBack.com or call 1-800-882-9589.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).