[Pharmwaste] DEA Spring Collection April 28th

[Ed Gottlieb]

Some time ago, the DEA announced their Spring collection event, part of their National Take Back Initiative.
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/

This web page says, "Please check back in March to locate collection sites near you."  I've been checking back every day hoping to find information on how to sign up.  If the DEA expects to know who is participating by March, it seemed to me that sign-up should begin soon.  Made some phone calls to DEA as well (which I don't recommend doing unless you have a reliable contact there or it's absolutely necessary.)  

The DEA just added some information to that web page:
"Law Enforcement Agencies Only:  For law enforcement agencies that wish to host a collection site please cal the POC in your area."
A link is provided to a table of Point of Contact persons for each state.

I was able to learn, through phone inquiries, that the sign-up form will go live only 6 or 7 weeks ahead of the event.  The agent I spoke with will be sending a suggestion to DEC HQ that they change "March" to "April" in, "Please check back in March to locate collection sites near you." 

That agent also took my request that one of our counties planned collection sites be allowed to extend the hours of operation from 10-2 to 9-3 (the hours of our previous  events.)  I also requested that the DEA pick-up collected material later in the afternoon to allow us time to do some inventory data collection.  Finally, I asked that some collection locations be allowed to deliver their material (with proper chain of custody transfer) to our central collection.  I was told there is precedent for this gathering material from multiple sites to one location for DEA pick-up.  Our hope is we would have time to inventoried the controlled substances from those sites as well.  I'll send out an update with their reply, once it's received.  

If the DEA is totally inflexible, our group will face a tough choice.  
1.  Join the DEA program and inventory only at our central location.  We might have to stop the inventory process once the DEA arrives to collect the material.  
2. Hold our collections on the same day (which we picked before the DEA announced their date) and get permits, as we have in the past, through the NYS DOH Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the NYS DEC.  Unlike the easy DEA registration process, state permitting requires significant effort.  We could then inventory as planned.

Ed Gottlieb
Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY  14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433