It’s time lawmakers show support for Senate Bill 5234, a critical piece of legislation that will help reduce drug overdoses, accidental poisonings and pollution of the state’s water resources.
The current system of voluntary and temporary drop-off centers for unused and unwanted drugs is not a long-term solution to an epidemic of poisonings, abuse and overdoses from medicines left stored in homes.
Studies show that 10 percent to 30 percent of all legal drugs purchased go unused. Here are some of the consequences:
Nearly one-third of child poisoning deaths in the state are linked to someone else’s prescription medicine and 26 percent are caused by over-the-counter drugs commonly found in homes.
Each year, the state spends about $31.7 million to hospitalize and treat children for unintentional poisonings from medicines.
The number and volume of drugs in the American marketplace is staggering. Media outlets, especially television, are swamped with advertisements for new drugs to prevent and cure everything from insomnia to heart disease.
In most cases the drugs bought and consumed improve and save lives. But they become lethal weapons when they end up in the hands of children, teens and adults who intentionally or unintentionally abuse them.
The first line of defense is in the household, where all drugs should be kept in a secure place out of the reach of children.
But disposal of unused medicines needs to extend beyond flushing them down the toilet or mixing them in kitty litter or coffee grounds for disposal in the garbage. These disposal methods send the chemicals in prescription pills and over the counter medicines into our lakes, streams, groundwater and Puget Sound, creating a 21st century source of pollution that is still poorly understood.
The estimated cost to implement the Secure Medicine Return Bill is one penny for every $16 in sales. That’s a small price to pay to reduce drug poisonings and overdoses.
The legislation has the support of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Law enforcement officers know all too well the consequences of unsecured medicines.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food & Drug Administration all support drug take-back programs.
Here in Thurston County, a voluntary take-back program involving health and law enforcement officials has been successful, bringing in more than 2,000 pounds of drugs in 2010. But it lacks sustained funding.
Statewide product stewardship programs have proven successful. Look at the electronic waste recycling program, which recovered more than 42 million pounds of unwanted electronics last year, including 1.83 million pounds in Thurston County.
There’s reason to believe a medicine take-back program would work, too.
