Another National Take Back Initiative is scheduled for this Saturday, September 29th. The Maryland State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration will be collecting unwanted or expired prescription and non-prescription drugs from citizens.

They drop them off at the Law Enforcement Center on Airport Drive in Frederick from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.  All of the other Maryland State Police barracks will also be collecting unwanted or expired prescription and non-prescription drugs on Saturday.

The Frederick Police Department is also holding a drug Take Back Initiative on Saturday at the same time at the Harry Grove Stadium parking lot.

State Police say the Take Back Initiative is a way for citizens to safely dispose of medications and keep them from falling into the wrong hands. Officials say the use of prescription drugs is second only to the use of marijuana as the most commonly  used drug in the US, according to a State Police news release.

Authorities say there has been a decline among teenagers in the use of marijuana and other illegal drugs, but many young people are getting high on prescription drugs they steal from their family's medicine cabinet.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration says citizens have turned more than 552,161 pounds or 275 tons of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal, which has removed more than 1.5-million pounds or 774 tons of medications from circulation.