Bill Creates a New Statewide Pharmaceutical Take-Back Initiative; Builds on 'Shed the Meds' Program

When individuals trapped in the grip of opioid addiction wonder where their lives may have gone wrong, they usually don't have to look any further than their own medicine cabinets. Leftover prescription medicines stored at home are a convenient and potent way for people to get hooked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 140 Americans die every day from drug overdoses, with 91 of those deaths specifically attributed to opioids.

New York, like the rest of the nation, continues to struggle with the opioid addiction crisis.  A new bill, S7354, staunchly supported by Senator Terrence Murphy, prevents opioids or other unused prescriptions from being abused and protects water supplies from contamination. The bill, sponsored by Senator Kemp Hannon and Senator Tom O'Mara, creates the "Drug Take Back Act," which requires certain manufacturers to operate a take-back program to accept and properly dispose of prescription drugs. The Senate passed the bill on April 25, in time to mark National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 28.

"It's time for the pharmaceutical companies who have made billions of dollars off of pain medication to be part of the solution," Senator Murphy said. "My office gets dozens of calls a month asking for the best place to discard unwanted or unused medicine and this legislation will finally provide a unified, statewide drug take back, to be paid for by big pharma."

The Drug Take Back Act holds pharmaceutical manufacturers responsible for all costs of the take-back program, ranging from public education and awareness to drug collection, transport, and destruction. The Act further requires chain pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies to provide consumers with collection options including drop boxes and prepaid mail-back envelopes.

In addition to getting excess drugs out of medicine cabinets where they are ripe for abuse, a statewide drug take back program will help ensure these and other drugs are not improperly disposed of by flushing or other means that results in harm to our water bodies and impacts aquatic life. Last year New York made a historic $2.5 billion investment in improving and protecting our water, keeping drugs out of our water supplies is an absolute necessity.

Murphy continued, "We often see the first supply of opioids an addict usually gets is leftover medication that was prescribed to a family member or friend. In order to break the cycle of addiction, we need to cut off this supply and dispose of these drugs before they can be abused or discarded in our water supply. Just as individuals can return toner cartridges, car batteries or motor oil to the businesses they purchased them from, New Yorkers should be able to dispose of potentially hazardous drugs, whether it's through a prepaid envelope, or by putting it in a drop box."

Medication Take Back Day – Saturday, April 28, 2018 - at Putnam Hospital.

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Submitted by Brewster, NY

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