Kansans turned in 5 tons of unused meds

The Kansas attorney general says Kansas residents turned in a record five tons of unused medications in the National Drug Take-Back Day.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says law enforcement officials collected about 10,000 pounds of medications at 101 locations across the state during the event Saturday.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the event was sponsored nationwide by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which collects and then destroys the medications. The DEA says medicines that languish in home cabinets can be misused, and discarding them in the trash or sewer systems can create health hazards.

Since the program’s inception in 2010, Kansas has collected 17 tons of unused medications.

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal