King County residents can dispose of their unwanted and expired medicines anonymously and at no cost at a nationwide drug “take-back” day on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There are 22 take-back collection sites in King County currently with more expected by the day of the event. To find a location go towww.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.

This one-day event is coordinated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and participating local law enforcement agencies.

About 30 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medicines sold go unused. Unused prescription drugs too often fall into the hands of children and teens, where they cause poisonings and deaths. In fact:

• Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country.
• Drug overdoses have surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of accidental deaths in Washington – the majority involved prescription pain killers.
• In Washington state 11 percent of teens use prescription medicines for non-medical reasons – a rate among the highest in the nation.
• Over half of the 37,000 calls to the Washington Poison Center in 2009 were for young children poisoned by medicines found at home, and the elderly are also at risk of accidental poisonings.
• Human medications are the leading cause of pet poisoning.