photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

A Douglas County Sheriff's Office vehicle is pictured in January 2022.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will operate a collection site for unused medications in downtown Lawrence on Saturday as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

The office announced in a press release Tuesday it will accept expired or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications at a drive-thru site in a parking lot outside the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event is free and anonymous. All of the unused medications collected by the DCSO will be delivered to the Drug Enforcement Administration where they can be safely destroyed.

The goal behind National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to provide a safe disposal of unneeded medications from homes to prevent medication misuse or opioid addiction. In addition, using a take back site eliminates improper environmental disposal into the water supply.

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said in a release the sheriff’s office is happy to offer this event to residents as an “anonymous and convenient way to dispose of unused medications.”

“When we face the dangers of overdoses in our community, it’s important to offer this option so people can clean out their cabinets and know medications will be disposed of safely,” Armbrister said.

The sheriff’s office cannot accept needles, sharps or inhalers. Veterinary drugs are accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container.