The State Department of the Attorney General, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration and State Narcotics Enforcement Division, is coordinating its 5th National Take Back Initiative on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.

Residents who have expired or unused prescription medications are encouraged to bring in their medications on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m., at various collections points.  A list of collection locations is attached or visit www.dea.gov.

The 5th National Take Back Initiative will also have an exhibit Take Back day booth at the Hawaii Senior's Fair at the Blaisdell Center from Sept. 28 through 30 from 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.  This service is free and anonymous -- no questions asked.  Tablet, capsules, and allother solid dosage forms will be accepted.

Since September 2010, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands have collected a total of nearly 6,700 pounds of expired and unused prescription medications.  With each Take Back effort, the number of pounds collected has increased.

On the most recent Take Back day, citizens turned in a record-breaking 552,161 pounds, or 276 tons, of medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,659 Take Back sites available in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of young adults, people aged 18 through 25, who used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the past month declined 14 percent from 2 million in 2010 to 1.7 million in 2011.

This decline has driven an overall 12 percent drop in the number of Americans abusing prescription drugs.

Complete survey findings can be found at www.samhsa.gov.

Unused or expired medicine should be disposed of properly when it is no longer needed for the illness for which it was prescribed.

• Medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date.
  
• Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.