Unused prescription drugs can be abused by people, taken accidentally by children or pollute waterways.
State and federal bills designed to promote the safe disposal of excess prescription drugs were discussed at a drug policy roundtable Saturday, Aug. 8, the first of eight around the country.
During a press conference in Shoreline at the Dale Turner Family YMCA, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., promoted his bill, HR 1191, called the Safe Drug Disposal Act of 2009.
State Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup, also discused HB 1165, the Secure Medicine Return Bill, of which she is the lead sponsor. The purpose of the bill, said Morrell, a critical care nurse, was to make pharmaceutical companies collect unused drugs.
There are already pilot programs in place to do that locally. Twelve Bartell Drugs locations take back unused drugs, as do 25 Group Health sites.
For more information on returning drugs go to www.medicinereturn.com.
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