The city of Dunkirk Police Department and WCA ALSTAR Ambulance, in cooperation with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, are coordinating a North County location for National Prescription Drug Drop Off Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WCA ALSTAR Services has again provided their North Headquarters for the drive in drop off location. ALSTAR North is located behind School 3 at Route 60 and Orchard Street in the city of Dunkirk. The prescriptions can be dropped off with no questions asked.

According to David Ortolano, Dunkirk police chief, this is a very important program because any unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issues leading to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse. In many states, he said, deaths from prescription drugs now exceeds those from motor vehicles accidents with opiate painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycontin leading abuse. Recent reports show that the number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction had increased 400% within the last 10 years.

Reports show that one in 10 12th-grade students used pharmaceutical narcotic pain killers for non medical use. The reports also show that the majority of the teenagers (62%) using prescription drugs got them from family and friends including from medicine cabinets in their own homes. Unintentional overdose deaths from prescription opiods increased 175% over a five-year period. Recent reports note that there were 6.2 million Americans aged 12 years and older who abused prescription drugs within the past month with seven of the 10 most commonly abused drugs by teenagers being prescription medicine.

Proper disposal of unused or expired prescription drugs can eliminate temptation for abuse and the temptation for them to be stolen from a residence. The proper disposal also does not affect the environment which can happen if they are flushed into the sewer systems. Most importantly proper disposal can help lower the deaths rate related to overdose and abuse, especially in our children and young adults.

Dunkirk police urge residents to take the time to empty your shelves and cabinets from unused and expired prescription drugs and bring them to the drop off point at ALSTAR Ambulance. Also, police said, ask that if you have parents or grandparents that you check with them as well to make sure they sort through any prescriptions they may have that are not needed or have expired. Again this will be a drive in and drop off with no questions asked.