Coalition supports a statewide medicine return program

Feb. 8 UPDATE: SSB 5243 has been moved out of committee to the Senate floor and is awaiting a vote.  As expected, pharmaceutical companies are lobbying hard against the bill.   

Prevention Works in Seattle supports the development of a statewide medicine return program funded by pharmaceutical companies because:

• Prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse among adolescents is on the rise in Washington State and around the nation.

• Medicine return programs are one tool communities can use to reduce teenage prescription drug abuse.

As the recipient of federal money, the coalition, as a group, cannot lobby for specific legislation.  However . . .
 
• Everyone can forward information to others.

• As individuals, coalition members can contact legislators and tell them that you support SSB 5234 and HB 1370.  The Washington State Senate Rules Committee needs to hear from people immediately if the legislation is to make it to a full Senate vote.

• If people wish to contact legislators as a part of their jobs but are not allowed to lobby, the statement at the top of this post may be used. 

More information and resources are available on the Take Back Your Meds campaign website.

Legislation would help reduce teen prescription drug abuse

Last year, the Prevention WINS coalition learned about the Take Back Your Meds campaign and how a statewide medicine return program would reduce youth prescription drug abuse.  Below is a clip from a local news story about why these programs are important. 



During the current state legislative session, two bills are being considered that would establish a statewide system for the secure return of leftover prescription and over-the-counter medicines.  Following is a brief summary of SSB 5234 and HB 1370: 

• Help stop the epidemic of abuse and poisonings, and protect our water quality.

• Requires no state funds; budget-neutral to the state. Primarily financed by all drug producers selling medicines in Washington, as part of doing business. Removes financial burden from Sheriffs, police, and local governments.

• Not a government-run program. Establishes the non-profit WA Medicine Return Association that will be managed and financed by drug producers so they can control their own funds and operate the program efficiently.

• Total annual costs of the program to drug producers collectively cannot exceed $2.5 million – or about 1 penny for every $16 in sales of medicines annually in Washington.

• Sheriffs, police, local govt’s, and pharmacies in 17 counties are operating take-back programs at limited locations, but are struggling for funding. Most WA communities cannot afford to start a take-back program.

• The federal Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating some one-day take-back events; however these rely on local resources and will end in 2012 when the DEA finalizes new regulations for take-back of controlled drugs such as narcotics without involvement of law enforcement.

During the 2011 legislative session, the Senate bill was one vote short of being passed out of committee. Although many legislators support these bills, the powerful pharmaceutical lobby was successful in thwarting them.  More information about the proposed legislation may be found on the Take Back Your Meds website.

Secure medicine take-back bill fails in WA Senate

On March 7, the Washington State Senate failed to vote on and pass Substitute Senate Bill 5234, the Secure Medicine Take-Back Bill. The proposed legislation would have required drug manufacturers selling medicines in Washington state to provide and finance a secure take-back and disposal program for left-over or expired medicines from residents. Over 140 organizations statewide supported the proposed legislation, including sheriffs, public health leaders, substance abuse professionals, and water quality experts.


“While many Senators were strongly in favor of this bill, pressure from the pharmaceutical industry managed to derail a good piece of legislation that would help protect our families and the environment from left-over medicines. It’s unfortunate that common sense and innovation were left on the sidelines in favor of backroom politics. Washington desperately needs a secure system to safely dispose of leftover medicines from homes without hurting the environment. It’s time to put our families first, not the pharmaceutical companies,” said Karen Bowman, RN, Washington State Nurses Association.

Gearing up for next year . . . Secure medicine return bills are NOT dead for all time. The Legislature works in two-year cycles - this is year one of the 2011-2012 biennium.  Every bill introduced this year is automatically re-introduced next year.


At the start of the 2012 session, SSB 5234 will start in the Senate Rules committee. If we can encourage more Senators to support the bill between now and then, SSB 5234 could be pulled straight out for a floor vote.


HB 1370 will also be reintroduced in the House.

Medicine return bill in the news

As the Secure Medicine Take-back Bill (SSB 5234) awaits a vote in the Rules Committee -- it needs to be passed by the Senate before the cut-off deadline of March 7 to keep moving forward this session -- it has received a good deal of media coverage.

Drug companies should help consumers dispose of unused, dangerous drugs, Seattle Times

State Considers Drug Disposal Program, Q13

Drug companies must pay for take-back program, (written by WASAVP President Jim Cooper) The Olympian

Drug Take-Back Program, KIRO

Secure Medicine Return Bill

The Secure Medicine Return Bill that has been introduced to the Washington State Legislature provides for the safe collection and disposal of unwanted drugs from residential sources. Environmental organizations and substance abuse prevention advocates have come together in support of this bill. As the rate of youth who abuse prescription drugs rises, this bill is an important preventive measure.

Secure medicine return

Yesterday, I attended a meeting about the proposed Washington State Secure Medicine Return Bill that was introduced in the House and the Senate this year but did not make it to the floor for a vote. Advocates for this bill include substance abuse prevention advocates (who are concerned about prescription drug abuse), environmentalists (who are concerned with medicines being found in our water), and law enforcement (who are concerned about controlled substances).

Group Health and Bartell Drugs have implemented successful medicine return programs and the bill would expand medicine return programs statewide. The bill will be re-introduced in the upcoming session and it is expected that the pharmaceutical industry will, once again, launch a strong campaign in opposition.

Did you know . . . .

-- Over half of those using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons obtained them from a friend or relative.

-- One-third of all new abusers of prescription drugs in 2005 were 12-17 year olds.

A community workgroup led by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington recently unveiled its King County 2008 drug trends report. It found:

-- Drug related deaths involving prescription opiates totaled 153 in 2008, more than double the number of deaths from any other substance.

-- While the numbers are very low in northeast Seattle, in King County, 8% of tenth grade students reported using prescription opiates to get high in the past month according to the Healthy Youth Survey.

SAMA newsletter

I just got SAMA's February newsletter and it contains two good articles about Prescription Drug Awareness Day and the Secure Medicine Return Bill in Olympia.