The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office will participate once again in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back.  The event will take place Saturday, April 28^th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  According to Sheriff Tim Donnellon, anyone with unwanted or expired prescription pills can drop them off at either the Sheriff’s Office at 1170 Michigan Road in Port Huron Township or the Ira Township substation, located at 7085 Meldrum Road, behind the Ira Township Offices.  This will be the fourth time the Sheriff’s Office has participated in the Drug Take Back day.  During the last event, in October of last year, 50 pounds of pills were received.  That amount topped the 38 pounds of pills turned over in April of last year.  Nationwide, over 188 tons of pills were collected nationwide at nearly 5,400 sites. The idea behind the program involves both public safety and public health.  Prescription pills left in cabinets at home have a good chance of being misused or abused.  The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, according to studies.  A high number of those drugs are taken from the family medicine cabinet.  Rates of prescription drug abuse are alarmingly high, along with the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Along with that, we now know that the usual way of disposing prescription drugs by flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash cause a public health hazard by contaminating drinking water.   Sheriff Donnellon asks that you bring all of your expired, unused or unwanted drugs to either the Port Huron Township Office or the Ira Township Office.  You can bring them in their original container or in a baggie.  When you arrive, simply dump the pills in the container provided.  Only prescription pills will be accepted.  No liquids, inhalers, syringes or other medication will be accepted, as we have no way to dispose of them.  All pills collected will be turned over to the D.E.A. at the end of the day.