Benicia residents who want to get rid of old and unwanted prescription drugs may do so at Benicia Police Department’s front lobby Saturday during a Prescription Drug Take Back event.

Organized to give the public a way to prevent pill abuse and theft by getting expired and unwanted prescription drugs out of their homes, the event is designed to address what Lt. Mike Greene called a “vital public safety and public health issue.”

“Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse,” he said.

Throughout the United States, rates of abuse of those drugs is high, Greene said. So are rates of accidental poisonings and overdoses blamed on the medicines.

“Studies show that a majority of abused prescriptions drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinet,” he said.

“The usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.”

“This is an important public service the police department provides to the community,” Benicia police Chief Erik Upson said.

“It’s been our experience that often family and friends unknowingly provide prescription medications to other individuals who either use the medications themselves or provide them to other people, often minors.

“This proactive program provides those with unused prescription medications a safe and legal way to dispose of them,” he said. “We want as many people as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Residents may take prescriptions to the Benicia Police Department lobby, 200 East L St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. There is no charge for the service.

Those who want to get rid of old and unwanted drugs may take the pills out of their containers and put them in a zipping plastic bag.

Those who want to dispose of liquids can keep them in their original containers, but the containers’ prescription labels should be removed.

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