Last fall, Congress passed the “Access to Increased Drug Disposal (AIDD) Act as part of a larger package of bills aimed at controlling the national opioid epidemic. AIDD allows states to compete for $10 million in federal grants designed to increase participation in safe medication disposal programs. Five states will be chosen to receive grant money to implement drug take back demonstration projects that encourage “authorized collectors,” such as hospitals and retail pharmacies, to increase public access to drug collection boxes.
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Unused Medication Disposal Articles
You wouldn’t pick up a pill off the sidewalk and pop it into your mouth, so why would you want unknown types of drug residue in your drinking water? Of course, you don’t, but it’s happening anyway.
In 2008, public health officials were concerned when water quality studies found that 46 million Americans had trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. Two-thirds of Americans don’t safely dispose of unused/unwanted medications, not realizing they could be polluting the environment and contributing to the country’s prescription drug epidemic. Don’t be part of the problem!
The articles in this section describe the different types of pharmaceutical wastes, explain the health and environmental effects of unsafe medication disposal, and discuss solutions for safe, sustainable drug disposal. These two infographics introduce you to simple and safe medication disposal solutions and highlight the dangers of improper disposal of medical and pharmaceutical wastes.
In many cases, prescription drug abuse starts in the home when friends or family find unused/unwanted medications and decide to sample them. That’s why industry and communities are working together to meet the challenge of safe prescription drug disposal – particularly as it pertains to the opioid epidemic. It will take more than a single village to fight this: all stakeholders have to work together, all across the country.
Proper disposal is a critical component, and individuals have a variety of options. Drug takeback programs are the most effective disposal solutions to help prevent prescription drug abuse in the home. Many communities offer semi-annual drug-takeback days, but that could mean that unused medication stays in the home for months. With a mailback prescription drug disposal option, however, you don’t have to wait for a specific “takeback” day and make a special trip to a disposal site.
Individual households aren’t covered by state or federal regulations (although some communities do regulate what can be put in regular household trash), but healthcare facilities must carefully monitor their pharmaceutical management practices. Administrators need to stay alert to regulatory changes, like the latest disposal regulations from the EPA and DEA that affect senior living facilities.
The articles in this section will help you understand the issue so you can do the right thing.
How MedSafe & TakeAway Systems Support Sustainable, Safe Drug Disposal
In 2008, public health officials were startled when water quality studies found that 46 million Americans had trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. They noted that many localities didn’t test drinking water for pharmaceutical residues, so even more people could potentially be affected. These findings led to calls for more testing, public education, and safer, more secure drug disposal options.
Continue reading “How MedSafe & TakeAway Systems Support Sustainable, Safe Drug Disposal”Veterinarians, Pet Medications, and the Opioid Crisis
Ninety-five percent of pet owners say they consider pets a part of the family, but there’s a darker side to some of those families. Sadly, as in so many human families, drug addiction is breaking the bonds of affection and trust. Veterinarians have reported cases where opioid addiction is leading pet owners to steal their pets’ medications or even injure their pets in an effort to get pain meds prescribed.
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MedSafe Milestone: One Million Pounds – And Counting
Since 2014, Sharps Compliance has partnered with pharmacies, hospitals and clinics with on-site pharmacies, law enforcement agencies, and others to make approximately 3,000 MedSafe pharmaceutical collection kiosks accessible to ultimate users for the disposal of their home medicines. Those with unused/unwanted medications can – at no cost – bring their home medicines to a MedSafe unit for safe, DEA-complaint disposal. The program has generated an enthusiastic response: as of December 2018, over a million pounds of unused, ultimate-user medications have been deposited into MedSafe receptacles.
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North Dakota Pharmacists Use MedSafe to Help Fight Opioid Abuse
North Dakota’s innovative approach to combating the opioid crisis in rural America involves stakeholders at every level – from pharmaceutical companies to the public. Although the state’s death rate from opioid overdoses is less than half the national average, officials were alarmed when it spiked in 2016. In response, the state launched several new initiatives that focused on education, front-line prevention, and drug collection/diversion using Sharps Compliance MedSafe Medication Disposal System kiosks.
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