PARKERSBURG — The National Drug Take Back Day will be Saturday with locations around the area in both West Virginia and Ohio where people can take their old prescription medicines to be disposed of.

The Take Back Day will be Oct. 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.

“DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting,” the website said. “DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths. While the community does its part to turn in unneeded medications and remove them from potential harm, we are doing our part to further reduce drug-related violence.”

Representatives from the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office will assist state, county and municipal agencies and groups in staffing Take Back sites around the state on Saturday, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s office.

There will be more than 81 collection sites in West Virginia on Saturday, they reported.

“It makes me incredibly proud that West Virginia is actively involved in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day,” Gov. Jim Justice said in the press release. “When local law enforcement, our team at the Capitol Complex, and communities work together, it reflects how much we care about keeping our folks safe and stopping prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands.

“I’m thankful for everyone who pulls the rope together to tackle the problem of prescription drug abuse in our state.”

The DEA spearheads Drug Take Back Day, which was launched in 2010.

During the event, local and state law enforcement agencies collect unused/expired medication and responsibly dispose of it.

The DEA typically hosts two prescription drug Take Back days per year–one in the spring and one in the fall.

The medications are usually destroyed by law enforcement agencies in prescription drug incinerators shared among those agencies.

For more information or to find a location where medications can be dropped off, go to: www.dea.gov/take-backday

Locations in the area where people can unused or expired prescription medications for disposal include:

West Virginia

Wood County

*Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department at 1340 Harris Highway, Lubeck.

*Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department at 1698 Fire Department Dr. in Mineral Wells/

*Waverly Volunteer Fire Department at 15425 Emerson Ave. in Waverly.

*West Virginia State Police Parkersburg Detachment at 3828 Staunton Turnpike, Parkersburg.

*Williamstown Police Department at 100 West Fifth St. in Williamstown.

*Vienna Police Department at 604 29th St. in Vienna and the Vienna Fire Department at 609 28th St. in Vienna.

Pleasants County

*Pleasants County Sheriff’s Department at 305 Barkwill St. in St. Marys.

*Phillips Pharmacy at 329 Second St. in St. Marys (in cooperation with the Pleasants County Sheriff’s Department)

Jackson County

*Ravenswood Volunteer Fire Department at 333 Virginia St in Ravenswood.

*Walgreens at 635 Main St. in Ripley (in cooperation with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Ripley Police Department)

*Southern Jackson County Fire Department at Route 21 at Pleasant Valley Road in Kenna

Wirt County

*Wirt County Sheriff’s Department at 15 Court St. in Elizabeth.

In Ohio

Washington County

*Marietta Police Department at 301 Putnam St. Suite 1300 in Marietta.

Noble County

*Food Center at 110 Olive St. in Caldwell (in cooperation with the Noble County Sheriff’s Department)