Casper-area residents are encouraged to turn in their unused, unwanted and expired medication today, Wednesday, April 25, at the Casper Senior Center.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it's prescription drug take-back day. The goal is to dispose of unneeded prescription drugs in order to prevent them from being accessed by someone who may abuse them.

In 2013, Wyoming was ranked 15th out of the 50 states based on the drug overdose mortality rate. The number of overdose deaths in Wyoming, which mostly result from prescription drugs, has tripled since 1999.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, young adults -- those aged 18-25 -- are the biggest abusers of prescription drugs including opioid painkillers, stimulants and anti-anxiety drugs.

In 2014, over 1,700 young adults died from a prescription drug overdose. That marked a four-fold increase from 1999, with nearly five people dying each day.

The Institute says in 2014, more young adults died from prescription drug overdoses than from overdoses of any other drug, including heroin and cocaine combined, and many more needed emergency medical treatment.

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