RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) -Drug administrators have come together to safely dispose of thousands of pounds of unused or expired prescriptions.

The State Bureau of Investigation says the effort was part of Operation Medicine Drop’s Spring Take Back Event and the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Drop-off administrators say they collected 19,960 pounds (15 million dosage units) of unused prescription medications.

The public is invited to dispose of medicine, drop boxes in pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, police departments, and sheriff’s offices.  Since 2013, Operation Medicine Drop has collected 351.9 million prescription pills.

Below will show the number of medications collected and destroyed since 2013:

• 2013 – 20,176 lbs.
• 2014 – 9,932 lbs.
• 2015 – 26,238 lbs.
• 2016 – 41,385 lbs.
• 2017 – 48,354 lbs.
• 2018 – 62,239 lbs.
• 2019 – 68,056 lbs.
• 2020 – 42,815 lbs.
• 2021 – 45,170 lbs.
• 2022 – 44,500 lbs.
• 2023 – 40,810 lbs.
• 2024 – 19,960 lbs. (Spring 2024)

To find the nearest drop-off you can visit www.morepowerfulnc.org.