New Law Provides for Safe Disposal of Prescription Drugs

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October 6, 2010

Federal legislation was signed into law this week that allows for the safe disposal of unneeded and expired prescription drugs. The Safe Drug Disposal Act is the result of several years of lobbying to pass the law, which was endorsed by Group Health Cooperative, sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, and supported by Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Group Health's safe drug disposal pilot served as a model for how an effective program might work. This program was established in 2006 because of the health and environmental hazards posed by unused and expired medications often left available at home, where children and others could access and abuse them.

"The Group Health medication disposal pilot demonstrated that unused and unwanted medications can be safely disposed of by taking them back to a convenient location such as your pharmacy," said Shirley Reitz, associate director of clinical pharmacy operations. "Since the start of the pilot project, we have incinerated over 40,000 pounds of medications, removing them from harm's way and keeping them out of the environment."

Similar programs are not readily available elsewhere, and the number of deaths due to prescription drugs tripled in the United States from 1999 to 2006. Prescription drug overdoses have now surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of accidental deaths in Washington state. On the environmental front, as consumers have often been told to flush their medications down the toilet, water sources and marine life have become contaminated with drug residue.

Current law prohibits consumers from disposing drugs to anyone but law enforcement. The Safe Drug Disposal Act law allows local agencies and organizations to set up and run safe drug disposal efforts, like drop-off boxes and mail-in programs, in accordance with future Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations. Authorized groups (like Group Health) will be able to accept controlled substances for the purpose of disposal. The DEA will issue rules regarding drug take-back programs. The law also provides for a new public awareness campaign to educate citizens about the dangers of prescription drugs.

"Passing the Safe Drug Disposal legislation is a big win for Washington families," said Inslee, author of the Safe Drug Disposal Act in the House. "Prescription drug abuse is a growing plague in our communities. Most recently, nine middle school students in Bremerton were hospitalized after popping prescription pills some of the students brought from home. Our communities need all the options available to them to combat this problem. The Safe Drug Disposal legislation will give them a common sense option to easily and safely get rid of leftover prescription medication."

Also see:

Safe Disposal of Unused and Expired Medications

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