Officials say Tennesseans that participated in a national prescription drug disposal initiative turned in a record number of unwanted or expired medications.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said in a news release that Tennesseans turned in more than 68,000 pounds (30,845 kilograms) of unwanted or expired medications during the DEA's 14th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Initiative on Oct. 28. That was the highest total ever collected in the state, surpassing each of the 13 previous events. More than 6.5 million Tennesseans contributed.

The Tennessean newspaper reports that the state also surpassed the combined take-back totals of Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.

Nationwide, the DEA's take-back day netted more than 912,000 pounds (413,680 kilograms).

Count It! Lock It! Drop It, a community program that raises awareness about ways to keep drugs out of abusers' hands was created by the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition. The program has spread to 63 counties in Tennessee. It is funded in part by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation.