[Pharmwaste] Pharma industry complaint against Alameda County

[ted schettler]

FYI



The California Medical Assoc adopted the following resolution at their recent annual meeting.. It is also being referred to the AMA for national action.



RESOLVED: That CMA support medication collection or "take back" programs, funded in whole or part by the pharmaceutical industry, that help keep unused medications out of the environment and out of the hands of potential overdose victims or drug abusers; and be it further


RESOLVED, that this be referred for national action.






Ted Schettler







UNUSED MEDICATION COLLECTION/"TAKE BACK" PROGRAMS 
Author: Stephen Follansbee, MD,  Steve Heilig, MPH 

Adopted as Resolution 104-2012, California Medical Association)

  

Whereas, Discarded medications often end up in waterways, landfills, and other locations where they can be the source of accidental overdoses, resale for abuse, or become pollutants which can be ingested or otherwise effect humans and other creatures; and 
  
Whereas, British Columbia has a medication collection system designed to make it easier for residents to get rid of their unwanted prescription medications and help prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings and reduce water pollution; and 


Whereas, in California, Alameda County Supervisors recently unanimously approved a nationally unprecedented Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance requiring producers of drugs sold or distributed in the county to pay for the safe collection and disposal of unused medications; failure to comply will cost drugmakers $1,000 a day in fines; and 
  

Whereas, existing medication collection programs costs are largely borne by public entities, hospitals, citizens directly if they contact their local refuse disposal company for special collection, and law enforcement, but the Alameda program shifts the cost of disposal from taxpayers to drug companies. Currently in Alameda County, residents can discard pills they no longer need at 28 publicly funded drop-off locations, which costs an estimated $330,000 annually in public funds; now be it 



RESOLVED: That CMA support medication collection or "take back" programs, funded in whole or part by the pharmaceutical industry, that help keep unused medications out of the environment and out of the hands of potential overdose victims or drug abusers; and be it further




RESOLVED, that this be referred for national action.




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Scott Cassel 
  To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us 
  Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2012 4:08 AM
  Subject: [Pharmwaste] Pharma industry complaint against Alameda County


  Thanks to one of our members for the attached  11-page complaint filed in federal court by PhRMA, GPhA, and BIO against Alameda County's Safe Drug Disposal Ordinance. The lawsuit provides a concise summary of the law. It is also a broad rebuttal against the concept of producer responsibility, arguing that drug-take back programs should be a government function. 

   

   

  ____________________________
  Scott Cassel

  Chief Executive Officer/Founder
  Product Stewardship Institute, Inc.
  29 Stanhope Street
  Boston, MA 02116
  617-236-4822 (ph)
  617-236-4766 (fax) 
  scott at productstewardship.us
  www.productstewardship.us

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