As political pundits predict the election will hinge on the economy and health care, a Centers for Disease Control report revealed that painkiller abuse costs Americans $72.5 billion annually in direct health care costs.

In Utah County, substance abuse costs residents about $800 million dollars annually. More Utahns die from prescription drug overdoses each year than from car crashes.

But some good news came Monday, when the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that prescription drug abuse had reached its lowest rate in nearly a decade, a sign that public health and law enforcement actions, like Take Back events, are paying off.

Those events give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse by removing expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs from their home medicine cabinets. They also reduced theft, as an estimated $5 million of street value were disposed in the last Take Back event in Utah County alone.

The Substance Misuse and Abuse Reduction Team, local law enforcement and other partners are organizing such an event on Saturday, the first since April 28, when 1,710 Utah County families disposed of 75,060 pills, an eye-popping 105 percent increase in two years.

Free to the public, the event, which will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will help safely dispose of unused medications to prevent misuse and protect the environment. Medications will be collected at various locations throughout the county.

For more information, including permanent drop off locations, please see www.UseOnlyAsDirected.org or call (801) 851-7181.

American Fork

• Fresh Market, 135 E. Main

Eagle Mountain

• Nolan Park, Sparrow Hawk Way (this location is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Lehi

• Macey’s, 760 E. Main St.

• Smiths, 1550 E. 3500 North

Orem

• Smith’s, 45 S. State St.

Payson

• Smith’s, 632 S. 100 West

Pleasant Grove

• Smith’s, 210 East 700 South

Provo

• Macey’s, 1400 N. State Street

• Smith’s, 350 N. Freedom Boulevard

Saratoga Springs

• Smith’s, 1320 Redwood Road

Spanish Fork

• Macey’s, 187 E. 1000 North

Springville

• Springville Library, 45 S. Main St.