PORTSMOUTH — Did you forget about that leftover bottle of Oxycodone from the time you were experiencing chronic back paid two years ago?

How about that Vicodin for the root canal last November?

We often forget about unused or expired painkillers and other prescription drugs that we leave behind in the medicine cabinet — and which can get into the wrong hands.

You can safely dispose of your unneeded medication at the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day event at the new Police Police Department headquarters from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

Police, along with the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition and the Drug Enforcement Administration, will give residents an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. 

Bring your pills for disposal to the police station at 2270 East Main Road. The service is free and anonymous — no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) 

Last April, Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds — more than 4,050 tons — of pills. 

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. 

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards. 

Though National Drug Take Back Day is April 27, drop box to dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs is always there. 

For more information, visit go to the DEA Diversion website or e-mail Portsmouth@riprevention.org.