RALEIGH — The Drug Enforcement Administration’s 20th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Saturday.

The DEA’s Raleigh District Office is partnering with national, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, and community coalition groups to hold its Take-Back Day events at various locations across North Carolina from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more about the event or to find a Take-Back location go online to www.deatakeback.com, or call 1-800-882-9539.

“This one-day event will make it convenient for the public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs,” a DEA statement reads in part. “North Carolinians will be able to drop off their expired, unused, and unwanted pills at sites across the state free of charge, no questions asked. By doing so, they will help prevent prescription drug abuse and theft.”

North Carolinians participating in DEA’s last take-back, held on Oct. 24, 2020, yielded 30,194 pounds of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has seen an increase in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 87,200 Americans dying as a result of a drug overdose from Sept. 1, 2019, to Sept. 1, 2020, the most ever recorded in a 12-month period. The increase in drug overdose deaths appeared to begin before the pandemic and accelerated during the first months of the pandemic.

“DEA’s twentieth take-back event will allow Americans to safely and properly dispose of their unwanted/unused prescription medications,” said Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA will work hand-in-hand with a number of law enforcement, tribal and community partners, all in effort to stem the tide of prescription drug abuse.”

The public can drop off prescription medications at collection sites that will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement. The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids, including intravenous solutions; syringes and other sharps; and illegal drugs will not be accepted. The DEA will continue to accept vaping devices and cartridges at its drop-off locations provided lithium batteries are removed.

The DEA also encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.