BRISTOL — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency today is sponsoring the annual Prescription Drug Take-Back event, allowing residents throughout the country to return their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal.

In a media release, the DEA said many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away — both potential safety and health hazards.

“The more prescription pills we can take out of our medicine cabinets, the fewer Connecticut families who are torn apart by prescription drug and opioid addiction,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. “I’ve gotten to know the ins-and-outs of Connecticut’s opioid epidemic and it’s clear that we have a serious crisis in our hands. We should be doing everything we can to eliminate the risk of drugs getting into the hands of the wrong person. I hope everyone does their part tomorrow by returning their unneeded medications.”

In 2015, more than 3,800 federal, state and local counterparts took in more than 702,365 pounds of unused, expired or unwanted drugs at more than 5,000 collection sites across the U.S., according to the DEA.

The local sites collecting medication between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. include the Bristol Police Department, 131 North Main St.; and the Wolcott Police Department, 225 Nichols Rd.