Encinitas residents can drop off expired or unwanted prescription medications for free Saturday, Oct. 24, at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office will staff the collection site at 354 Santa Fe Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Encinitas Patch. The drop-off is anonymous.

The event is one of eight Sheriff's Office collection points across San Diego County and part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. More than 4,400 collection sites will operate nationwide, the DEA said in a press release.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office posted the full list of local sites on X, which also includes stations in Alpine, Fallbrook, Imperial Beach, Lakeside, San Marcos and Spring Valley. One Ramona location, an Albertson's at 1459 Main Street, is the only non-government site among the eight.

What to bring

Accepted items include tablets, capsules, patches and liquid medications sealed in their original containers, according to the DEA. Syringes, sharps and illicit drugs will not be accepted. The Sheriff's Office also noted vapes will not be collected.

Preventing misuse

DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the program has collected more than 20 million pounds of unneeded medications from American homes since 2010.

"By participating in Take Back Day, you are preventing potentially addictive medications from falling into the wrong hands," Cole said in the press release.

Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris of the DEA San Francisco Field Division called unused prescriptions sitting in home medicine cabinets "a real threat to our families and communities across our region" in the same release.

Prescription opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Year-round option

Residents who cannot make the Oct. 24 event can drop off unwanted medications at sheriff's stations during regular business hours. The North Coastal Sheriff's Station at 175 N. El Camino Real in Encinitas accepts medications year-round, according to Patch.

To find additional collection sites, visit DEATakeBack.com.