FARMVILLE – Nearly 125 pounds of unused prescription drugs were turned over to the Farmville Police Department, the Longwood University Police Department, and agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency during the DEA's recent National Take Back Initiative.

The collaborative local effort saw officers manning a collection sight at Midtown Square, allowing individuals to anonymously dispose of the medications in a safe manner.

The drugs are turned over to the DEA for proper disposal, Farmville Police Chief Doug Mooney told Town Council this month.

The initiative, the police chief pointed out, is designed to remove potentially dangerous prescription drugs from homes; 124.8 pounds were collected during the Farmville event.

Prescription drugs are the most abused drugs in the nation, Chief Mooney noted, and the National Take Back program is meant to keep those drugs “out of the hands of unintended people.”

Oftentimes the hands of children or teenagers.