Tampa Bay law enforcement, Florida Attorney General stress dangers of leaving unused medications around home

LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida’s Attorney General was at the Lakeland Police Department on Thursday to promote National Prescription Take Back Day.

The event is this Saturday, April 22. There are dozens of drop-off sites around the Tampa Bay area, including many police departments, where you can get rid of your old prescriptions.

Flanked by law enforcement from around Polk County, Attorney General Ashley Moody said people should get rid of their unused medications because if they fall into the wrong hands the result can be far-reaching, even deadly.

"We now know that illicit fentanyl is a major culprit contributing to overall drug overdoes, and we know this often begins by taking drugs out of a medicine cabinet that was prescribed to someone at some point for a necessary purpose," she said.

READ: Heart tissue that traveled to space may benefit patients on Earth

In a recent year, Moody said, approximately 6,400 Floridians died from drug overdoses.

The nationwide event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

For more information, click here.