By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Pelham Police Department will team up with other agencies on April 28 to give residents a chance to discard their unused or unwanted prescription medications.

From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Pelham Police Department, the Shelby County Drug Free Coalition and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will sponsor four prescription drop-off locations throughout the northern part of the county.

Take-back stations will be set up at the Greystone YMCA at 5414 U.S. 280 in Birmingham, at the Alabaster Target store at 250 South Colonial Drive, at the Pelham Police Department at 32 Philip Davis Street and at the Winn-Dixie at 2653 Valleydale Road in North Shelby.

At the stations, Pelham officers and Drug Enforcement Task Force members will accept unused or unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medications – no questions asked – and dispose of them properly.

During the last countywide take-back day, residents turned in nearly 160 pounds of unwanted medications, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

“This will be our second take-back day within a year. We had a real good turnout at the last one,” said Pelham police Capt. Larry Palmer.

Palmer said the take-back days help eliminate a possible source of illegal drug use.

“It’s a growing problem. There are some pretty serious stats out there. Prescription drugs are abused more than marijuana and cocaine combined,” Palmer said. “We see it a lot in young adults.”

For more information about the take-back day, visit Shelbyso.com and click the “Current News” tab on the left side of the site.