Hennepin County collects 300-plus pounds of medications on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office collected nearly 320 pounds of unwanted, unused and expired medications Saturday on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. 

The goal of the program is to help people get rid of those leftover medications. It helps prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, and helps to decrease drug-related violence. 

If you didn't get a chance to make it to the drop, there's still another way you can get rid of them.

"Prescriptions that you no longer need, but there's not a take back going on, you don't know where to bring them, you can come get a free Deterra bag or a couple, and you can put the medications in here, put a little water, shake it up and throw it into a garbage can, and it will dispose of them properly and safely for the environment," said Deputy Chaunte Ford.

Click here to request Deterra bags from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.