2. State Regulations and Guidance Rules and enforcement vary by state Examples of innovative state programs: Arizona California Maine Washington Washington D.C.
3. States Rules and enforcement The National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL) The National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL) is a resource for governors, state legislators, attorneys general, drug and alcohol professionals, community leaders, the recovering community, and others striving for comprehensive and effective state drug and alcohol laws, policies, and programs. NAMSDL is the successor of the President’s Commission on Model State Drug Laws. Funded by Congressional appropriations since fiscal year 1995, NAMSDL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, bipartisan organization. NAMSDL provides the following document that summarizes drug take-back/drop-off programs via state or region: http://www.namsdl.org/documents/PrescriptionDrugTakeBackProgramsforConsumers2010.pdf According to NAMSDL only a handful of states have implemented state-wide programs specifically designed to facilitate the return of unused prescription drugs by consumers
4. innovative state programs: Arizona The TakeAway program aims to reverse these trends by providing the public with a safe, easy way to properly dispose of unwanted and expired medications. TakeAway uses community pharmacies across the state as take-back sites. Patients can bring unwanted and expired medicines into a participating TakeAway pharmacy. The pharmacist will dispose of the returned medications into a TakeAway system, a waste bin specially designed to safely store discarded pharmaceutical products along with their packaging. Once filled, the TakeAway system is sealed and shipped to a medication disposal facility where the entire TakeAway system and its contents are incinerated. Any pharmaceutical product, prescription or OTC, can be accepted for disposal, EXCLUDING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. Medications in any dosage form and any type of packaging are allowed, provided the medications are not controlled substances
5. innovative state programs: California The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Departments of Public Health and Public Works present the “Safe Drug Drop-Off” Program. The program provides an opportunity for residents to safely and anonymously surrender any unused or expired prescriptions, over the counter medications, “SHARPS” (needles), or any other controlled substances. There will be no questions asked.
6. innovative state programs: Maine The Safe Medicine Disposal for ME (SMDME) program is a statewide model for the disposal of unused household medications using a mail-back return envelope system. Established through state legislation and implemented in 2007 with a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Aging Initiative, the program is authorized to handle both controlled and non-controlled medications. All drugs collected undergo high-heat incineration, according to the procedure already established for Maine’s law enforcement drug seizures.
17. innovative state programs: Maine cont. During the cataloging, drugs were sorted according to whether they were controlled drugs or not and further into controlled hazardous or controlled non-hazardous categories. This sorting method facilitated appropriate disposal and therefore helped control disposal costs. The mail-back program, during its first two phases of EPA-funded operation, has disposed of more than 2,300 lbs of drugs, representing 3,926 returned envelopes. A total of 9,400 enveloped were distributed during this period representing a 42% envelope utilization and return rate. There have been eight cataloging events during this period.
18. innovative state programs: Washington The state of Washington has implemented a program to enable people to drop off their unwanted medications for disposal at participating pharmacies and police stations. The website lists, via county, what pharmacies and police stations are accepting these items. Pharmacies in this program cannot accept controlled substances at this time and refer to participating police stations. The website advises the public on who to contact regarding disposal of hazardous wastes, such as needles and sharps.
19. innovative state programs: Washington D.C. This pilot program is limited to an estimated 780,000 veterans living in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and West Virginia. Veterans mail back outdated, unwanted medicine. Federally approved facilities safely destroy the medicine, insuring that prescriptions don’t end up in municipal refuse, soil or ground water. Veterans will be able to safely dispose of expired and unused prescriptions and help the environment at the same under a program offered by the U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
20. innovative state programs: Washington D.C. cont. Veterans receive specially designed, postage-paid envelopes and instructions with their prescription fulfillment. Expired and unused pharmaceuticals placed in the special packaging can be dropped in familiar blue USPS collection boxes or at Post Offices. The envelopes are delivered to facilities regulated and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Pharmaceuticals from this and other similar mail-back initiatives are destroyed in accordance with EPA and DEA standards, including cataloguing and use of incineration, chemical or thermal processes.
21. innovative state programs These are just a few examples of state take back programs. For further examples please see: http://www.takebacknetwork.com/local_efforts.html http://www.takebacknetwork.com/resources.html
