The Drug Take Back will hold its 18th semiannual event this from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday at Daniel Pharmacy, 1114 Central Ave.

The annual spring and fall event, a collaborative effort between the Webster County Sheriff’s Department and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, offers a chance for those with unused medication to anonymously drop them off for proper disposal, keeping them out of the wrong hands.

The program accepts potentially addictive prescriptions such as opioids, as well as other various pills. New this year, the program will also be accepting e-cigarettes and vaping devices, as long as the battery is removed.

Webster County Sheriff Jim Stubbs said the program is an important public service to continually keep certain prescriptions off the streets that tend to be misused and abused.

The drug take back program is the recommended way, according to authorities, to dispose of unused medications. Throwing medicines in the trash or flushing them down the toilet is discouraged due to safety and health concerns.

Stubbs said that participation at its last event waned, perhaps in part due to year-round take back drop boxes available at three locations in Fort Dodge.

Efforts last year collected about 15 pounds of drugs, he said. Some years see intakes as high as 30 pounds.

Nationwide, the program has taken in about 750 tons of prescription drugs for disposal through incineration.

Needles and medications such as rescue inhalers will not be accepted.

More information can be found online at DEATakeBack.com.