Wednesday, October 21, 2015

King County among handful of places in country with medicine return program


A recent article in the New York Times focuses on how it’s been a year since the DEA released its rule allowing pharmacies to take back leftover medicines, yet few pharmacies have implemented take-back programs.  Pharmacy medicine return sites provide a convenient way for people to dispose of unused and unwanted medications, decreasing the amount of medications that end up abused or in our waterways.

The article references the product stewardship law in King County that requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to finance and organize the take-back system, which provides the financing to allow pharmacies to host drop boxes. Prevention WINS members were strong supporters of the King County law and stand ready to publicize the program when it is up and running. 

One of the two plans submitted to King County, ReturnMeds LLC, will be fully implemented by mid-April 2016. The plan includes a list of places that will host drop boxes where people can return their unused and unwanted medications. In NE Seattle, the following locations likely will have drop boxes: 


  

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