47,000 pounds collected in prescription drug take-back

The Drug Enforcement Administration's recent effort to collect unused prescription drugs has netted nearly 47,000 pounds in part of the Midwest.

The DEA's St. Louis office said Friday that the six states covered by the office saw 46,686 pounds of medication collected on April 28, National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Nationwide, more than a half-million pounds of unwanted or expired medications were turned in for disposal.

The St. Louis DEA says it collected:

• 21,232 pounds of drugs in Missouri,
• 8,753 pounds in Kansas,
• 5,422 pounds in Nebraska,
• 5,365 pounds in Iowa,
• 1,490 pounds in South Dakota and
• 4,424 pounds in southern Illinois.

Another DEA office is responsible for the rest of Illinois.