The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States.
Law enforcement agencies in California, Nevada, and the rest of the United States are participating in a "drug take-back day" Saturday.
Ben Wagner is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. He says proper disposal of prescription drugs is vital to reversing the trend of drug overdoses.
"Young people particularly are at risk and a lot of the medications that people are dying from are prescription medications that are diverted stolen from the kitchen counter and so forth."
According to the DEA, people who live in the Central Valley and Northern California have used the take-back events to dispose of 150 tons of prescription pills in the last ten years.
The DEA has locations for drop-offs at their website.
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