Philadelphia launches "Med Return"

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia officials have launched a new campaign to get prescription drugs off city streets.

It's called "Med-Return."

Special drop boxes like these will be put in police districts around the city.

Anyone can use them to anonymously deposit their leftover prescription drugs, which officials can then safely destroy.

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams called the program an important step in the fight against substance abuse.

"Overdoses do not discriminate based on race, gender or economic status. This is a crisis affecting all Philadelphians, every walk of life, every corner of our city."

Williams cited these sobering statistics as motivation for the program:

In Philadelphia in 2014, more than 650 people died from overdoses, that's nearly triple the city's homicide rate.

More than half of those overdose victims had prescription drugs in their system.

Right now, the drop boxes are at six police districts.

They'll be city wide within a few months.