[Pharmwaste] NY Governor Cuomo Vetoes Flawed Drug Take-Back Bill

[Catherine Zimmer]

Good job PSI, NYPSC and CCE!  Thank you for protecting the common person-an
unusual occurrence these days. 

 

Very truly yours,

 

Catherine Zimmer, MS, BSMT

Executive director,  <http://www.hearrtmidwest.wildapricot.org/> HEARRT
Midwest

Principal, Zimmer Environmental Improvement

Improving processes, minimizing and managing waste and, reducing costs.  

T:  651.645.7509

 <mailto:zenllc at usfamily.net> zenllc at usfamily.net

 

 

 

From: Pharmwaste [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf
Of Scott Cassel
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 3:22 PM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [Pharmwaste] NY Governor Cuomo Vetoes Flawed Drug Take-Back Bill

 

We are pleased to report that, yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed New
York State (NYS) bill S.06750/A.387-B that would have required chain
pharmacies to collect and dispose of unused controlled substances (see
attached). 

 

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), New York Product Stewardship
Council (NYPSC), and Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) jointly
urged the Governor to veto this bill for three key reasons. The bill would
have: 

.         required NY chain pharmacies and consumers to pay for drug
take-back and excused drug manufacturers from taking financial
responsibility; 

.         neglected NYS residents in areas not served by chain pharmacies,
especially rural communities; and 

.         preempted a strong existing local extended producer responsibility
(EPR) drug take-back law in NYS and undermined efforts by counties that have
introduced or plan to introduce similar bills. 

 

PSI, NYPSC, and CCE organized a wide range of stakeholders to oppose the
bill, and encouraged the Governor instead to pursue an EPR approach to drug
disposal. While we greatly appreciate the Legislature's attention on
addressing this important issue, we did not believe the drafted bill would
have been effective in achieving its goals.

 

We applaud the Governor's leadership in vetoing the bill, and are hopeful
that he will support a producer-funded drug take-back program through his
executive budget. Such a bill would save government and taxpayers money,
provide consumer convenience, fairly incorporate the true cost of managing
these products into the purchase price, and provide a direct financial
incentive for pharmaceutical companies to reduce unnecessary prescriptions. 

 

Passing a truly effective drug take-back bill in NYS will ultimately help
battle the unfortunate opioid abuse epidemic and protect our water from
pharmaceutical contamination.

 

 

 

------------________________________________

Scott Cassel

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

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