The Sevierville (Tenn.) Police Department collected 31.83 pounds of drugs from area residents at a National DEA Drug Take Back Event on Saturday, according to WVLT-TV.
Thus far in 2016, the police department has collected 578 pounds of unwanted medications at similar events and in the drug disposal container in the police department lobby.
"The program provides a way for us to help our community by safely disposing of unwanted or expired medications in the home, which can prevent medication errors, accidental overdoses, or inappropriate use," said Police Chief Don Myers, according to WVLT-TV. "The drug collection efforts also reduce contamination of our environment because these drugs are not flushed into the sewer system and don't end-up in the water table or land fill."
In 2015, physicians in Tennessee wrote more than 7.8 million opioid prescriptions for the state's 6.5 million residents.
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