On Saturday, April 19, Tennesseans did their part to prevent prescription drug misuse by dropping off their expired and unwanted prescription pills at take-back events across the state. If you attended a take-back event on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, you might be wondering how many pounds of pills were collected. The Tennessean recently released the numbers for the middle Tennessee area, the state and the United States as a whole.

Tennessee collected more than 15 tons of drugs at 116 take-back events statewide, setting a new record. Here’s the breakdown of the pounds of pills collected:

• United States: 900,000 pounds
• Tennessee: 31,183 pounds
• Middle Tennessee: 12,720 pounds

A variety of pills were collected at take-back events, including vitamins, aspirin and almost anything you can find in a medicine cabinet, including a significant amount of opioids.

Thanks to support from law enforcement, coalitions and pharmacies across the state, there was at least one take-back event in each Tennessee county.

Missed the take-back event in April? Use our drop box finder to safely and securely dispose of your unused or expired pills at a permanent location near you. Keep prescriptions in your home out of the wrong hands by storing them in a lock box. Contact your local coalition to see if they have free boxes, or purchase one from a local pharmacy.

The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2017.