OXFORD — On Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the Village of Oxford Police Department in association with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its twelfth opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

OPD urges anyone with any amount expired, unused or unwanted medications – including opiates - Bring your pills for disposal to the Oxford Police Department at 20 LaFayette Park in the Village of Oxford during the tack-back event.

At a opioid epidemic presentation and roundtable hosted by the Oxford Police Department, Truth Pharm and Oxford Academy on Thursday evening, Officer Cole Samsel explained how today's addicted youths—some as young as age 12—often segue from legal superscription medications to hard drug usage.

“This is how we're seeing the cycle of addiction begin; many of these kids become addicted after being prescribed pain pills such as oxycontin for, say, a sports injury, and don't realize they have an addiction for months,” said Samsel.

A common misconception, according to both Samsel and guest Alexis Pleus, Board President, Founder of Truth Pharm—a nonprofit working to raise awareness, advocate and reduce stigma of substance use disorders—is that smaller, more rural schools are less prone to the addiction and drug problems of their larger urban counterparts.