COLUMBIA, MO. -- Boone County residents joined in the fight against prescription drug abuse.
Residents brought old and unwanted medications to numberous drop off sites in Columbia Saturday morning.
Local law enforcement and volunteers will dispose of the pills, liquids and other controlled substances.
"Mostly what happens is if unused medications and that type of thing, maybe an older family member is deceased and ya know family members don't know what to do with it so rather than sitting in the medicine cabinet where youths or teens can get a hold of it, this is a proper way to be able to, it's registered, it's taken back and it's accounted for and it's disposed of properly," Boone County Deputy Trevor Fowlar said.
A 2009 nationwide study among american teenagers said 1in 7 teens reported abusing a prescription pain reliever in the last year.
Officials say the prescription take back day helped communities keep good medicine out of the wrong hands.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKRCG