[Pharmwaste] Kansas develops medication disposal program

[Stevan Gressitt]

I don't see how this skirts the FDA rules on forbidding samples returned to
drug stores?


On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 9:56 AM, Tenace, Laurie <
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us> wrote:

>
> http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/19/3565040/kansas-develops-medication-disposal.html
>
>
> Kansas develops medication disposal program
> In a policy change, Kansans now can return expired or unused medicines to
> pharmacy.
> By JOHN MILBURN
>
>
> TOPEKA -- Kansas residents will be able to return their expired or unused
> medications to pharmacies for disposal under a policy change announced
> Thursday. Health officials hope it will prevent the drugs from being
> accidentally ingested or flushed down the toilet.
> Robert Moser, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and
> Environment, said changes in agency policy interpretation will allow for
> medication collection centers in such places as pharmacies and law
> enforcement stations. Or residents can have the pills picked up as
> hazardous waste, similar to the way some people dispose of paint cans.
> "Storing unwanted or expired medications in the home poses a significant
> health risk to Kansas families. Children can be injured or even die from
> accidental ingestion," Moser said.
> The program is in conjunction with the Board of Pharmacy, as well as the
> health agency's Bureau of Hazardous Waste.
> Debra Billingsley, executive secretary of the Board of Pharmacy, said
> pharmacists have for years disposed of unused and expired medications from
> their own store supplies, nursing homes and hospitals, but they lacked the
> authority to accept them back from customers once they left the pharmacy.
> She said pharmacists want to provide the service to customers.
> "They understand that medications are powerful and . should be discarded
> with care," she said.
> Moser said allowing pharmacies, law enforcement and household hazardous
> waste centers to collect and safely dispose of the medications will reduce
> the number of accidental poisonings of children. Non-narcotic medications
> will be taken by pharmacists and placed in secure containers behind the
> counter and kept for proper disposal.
> The program also will reduce contamination of water supplies that can
> occur when the medications are flushed or poured into municipal sewer
> systems.
> Moser said most municipal wastewater treatment plants cannot completely
> filter the chemicals in medications from the sewage, leading to
> contamination of water supplies. That can lead to harmful side effects in
> humans and wildlife.
> Kansas has experienced a 150 percent increase since 2000 in the hospital
> discharge rate for unintentional drug poisoning, Moser said. Children 5 and
> younger had the highest rate of emergency room visits for unintentional
> drug poisonings among all age groups.
>
>
>
>
> Laurie Tenace
> Environmental Specialist III
> Waste Reduction Section
> Florida Department of Environmental Protection
> 2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
> Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
> P: 850.245.8759
> F: 850.245.8811
> Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
> Mercury: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm
> Batteries:
> http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/batteries/default.htm
> Pharmaceuticals:  http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/pharm/
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Stevan Gressitt, M.D.
Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging
Academic Member, Athens Institute for Education and Research
Athens, Greece
Founding Director, International Institute for Pharmaceutical Safety
University of New England, College of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine
314 Clark Road
Unity, Maine, 04988
gressitt at gmail.com
Cell: 207-441-0291
www.benzos.une.edu
www.safemeddisposal.com
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