As part of National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 26, there will be eight locations in Androscoggin County where the public can get rid of expired or unwanted prescription drugs.

Sites will be at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston, Bedard Pharmacy in Auburn, the Poland Substation, Turner Town Office Parking Lot and the Mechanic Falls, Livermore Falls, Sabattus and Lisbon Police Departments. Take Back Day sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information on a specific site, contact the appropriate law enforcement agency or call Healthy Androscoggin at 795-5990.

Large amounts of unwanted and unsecured medication in the house increase the risk of prescription drug misuse and addiction. It also increases the risk of being a victim of a home invasion where the intruder is specifically looking for those unsecured medicines.

Teens and young adults may experiment with prescription drugs from home or drugs they get from friends and other family members. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveals that 64 percent of teens who abuse painkillers get the drugs from friends or family members, often by taking them without permission.

If they aren’t abused, they also have potential for accidental poisonings of young children. Recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control found that children are twice as likely to go to the emergency department for medicine poisonings as any other product.

Medicines that are currently being used should be in one locked and secure location of the home. The quantities of these medicines should be closely and routinely monitored.

Residents who have medications they no longer use, never needed or are expired should not flush them down the toilet or throw them in the trash. Flushed medications can pollute waters and medicines in the trash can be taken by people who wish to abuse them.

For more information about preventing prescription drug abuse and promoting medicine safety, check out www.healthyandroscoggin.org.