[Pharmwaste] WA Secure Drug Take-Back Act Becomes Law - 3/22/2018 Media Release

Fri Mar 23 13:04:33 EDT 2018

Comprehensive pharmaceutical stewardship legislation signed into law in
Washington State!   See our media release below, which includes links to
more details about the law's policy at the end.

The supporting organizations represented in the quotes in this release were
all key supporters, and there are actually many many more organizations and
individuals who worked together for this accomplishment.

Margaret Shield, PhD

Community Environmental Health Strategies, LLC

 <mailto:margaret.shield at CEHstrategies.com>
margaret.shield at CEHstrategies.com

mobile:  206-499-5452

 <http://www.cehstrategies.com/> www.CEHstrategies.com 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 22, 2018

Contacts: 

Rep. Strom Peterson (360) 786-7950  <mailto:strom.peterson at leg.wa.gov>
strom.peterson at leg.wa.gov

Janet Anderson, Washington State Pharmacy Association (425) 228-7171

Steve Strachan, Washington Association for Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (360)
486-2380

Jan Gee, Washington Food Industry Association (360) 753-5177

Mark Johnson, Washington Retail Association (360) 704-0048

Heather Thomas, Snohomish Health District (425) 508- 4980

Jennifer Muhm, Washington State Nurses Association (206) 245-3077

Cindy Sharpe, Washington State Medical Association (813) 244-2883

Carl Schroeder, Association of Washington Cities (360) 485-7604

Mellani McAleenan, Washington State Dental Association (253) 353-3676

Seth Dawson, Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence
Prevention &
Washington State Psychiatric Association (425) 349-8424

Jennifer Stuber, Forefront Suicide Prevention at the University of
Washington (206) 604-7740

Rhonda Curry, Washington State Hospital Association (206) 696-8684

Jaime Bodden, Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials
(360) 280-5301

Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington (206) 351-2898

Secure Drug Take-Back Act Becomes Law

Program will expand drug take-back services to help address the opioid
crisis

OLYMPIA, WA- On Thursday afternoon, Governor Inslee signed House Bill 1047
into law, creating the nation's first statewide, comprehensive drug
take-back program to be financed and provided by pharmaceutical
manufacturers that sell drugs in Washington state. Championed by
Representative Strom Peterson, D- Edmonds, the
<http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1047&Year=2017> Secure Drug
Take-Back Act will make it easier for residents to safely dispose of
leftover medicines and ensure that communities across the state have access
to safe drug take-back options.

The Secure Drug Take-Back Act focuses on prevention, seeking to shut down
the "drug dealer" in the home medicine cabinet that is a common starting
place for medicine misuse and addiction. A majority of people who abuse
prescription drugs obtain them from family and friends. In Washington state,
overdose deaths have surpassed car accidents as the most common cause of
accidental death. According to the
<https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/346-083-SummaryOpioidOverdo
seData.pdf> Washington State Department of Health, of the almost 700 opioid
overdose deaths in 2016, over 400 were attributed to prescription opioids. 

Prescription drugs are not only related to overdose and abuse, they also
contribute to accidental poisonings and suicides. In Washington, over 150
suicides were
<https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/HealthStatistics/Death/Dea
thTablesbyTopic> attributed to medications in 2015. Prescription drug
accumulation in homes can also increase the possibility of accidental
poisonings, often due to expired medication or ingestion by a child.

To reduce risks of drug abuse, overdoses, poisonings, and suicides, the
Secure Drug Take Back Act requires drug manufacturers to implement a
statewide program for the safe and secure collection of unused, expired, and
leftover medications. The drug take-back system must operate on a year-round
basis and offer convenient drop-off sites in cities and towns across the
state. Any pharmacy, hospital, or police agency that volunteers to host a
secure drug drop box must be included in the collection system financed by
drug manufacturers. Prepaid return mailers will also be available to
residents.  Additionally, each program must develop a system of promotion,
education, and public outreach about the safe storage and collection of
pharmaceuticals.

"It's time the Legislature took this action so that all residents of the
State can have access to a convenient and safe drug take-back program," said
Peterson, prime sponsor of the bill. "Safe medicine return is a critical
part of an 'all of the above approach' to fighting the opioid epidemic. I
know first-hand the devastating effects losing someone to an opioid overdose
has on a family. We've lost too many loved ones to opioid addiction."  

Peterson has worked on other legislation to address the opioid crisis,
including being the prime sponsor of bills to increase naloxone distribution
and to improve the state's prescription monitoring program. 

Passage of the Secure Drug Take-Back Act fulfills the promise of changes
made to  <https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/index.html> Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) Regulations in 2014 under the federal
Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010. Then Congressman Jay
Inslee was a champion in the U.S. House of modifying the federal Controlled
Substances Act to allow more convenient options for secure drug disposal,
including allowing pharmacies to accept return of controlled substances. The
federal law change removed barriers but did not provide any funding, leaving
it to state and local governments to find solutions to providing drug
take-back options.

The WA Secure Drug Take-Back Act establishes the first comprehensive drug
take-back program in the nation that will be fully financed and provided by
the pharmaceutical industry.  Two states -
<https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-baker-signs-landmark-opioid-legislation-
into-law> Massachusetts and
<https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2016/S.243.> Vermont - enacted
opioid abuse laws in 2016 that have components addressing drug take-back
through partial or limited funding from pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Finding sustainable and adequate financing has been a key barrier to
providing drug take-back services in every community in Washington state.
Sheriff and police departments often provide drug drop boxes but have no
dedicated funding to pay to dispose of the large amounts of medicines
collected from community members. Under the new law, pharmaceutical
manufacturers will directly finance the drug take-back program. The annual
cost of the drug take-back program is estimated to be about 0.1% of the $5.7
billion in sales that pharmaceutical companies make per year in Washington.

Bill History:  Passage of the secure drug take-back law has been many years
in the making. Similar bills were proposed in the state Legislature from
2008 through 2012 and moved through policy and budget committees, but were
blocked from floor votes by strong pharmaceutical industry opposition. 

Proponents and local public health agencies then focused on adopting similar
policies at the local level. Secure Medicine Return ordinances have now been
enacted by local Boards of Health in seven counties: Clallam, King, Kitsap,
Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom. These successful local laws are
already serving residents of Snohomish and King counties with many new drug
drop boxes at local pharmacies, grocery stores, and medical clinics provided
by MED-Project, an organization financed by more than 400 drug
manufacturers.

Peterson reengaged the state-level debate in Olympia in 2017, with a bill
modeled on the successful local laws that gained new support from the
pharmacy community.  In 2018, House Bill 1047 ultimately passed both
chambers with strong bipartisan support, with a vote of 84-12 in the House
and 49-0 in the Senate.

Statements from Bill Proponents: The Secure Drug Take-Back Act was supported
by a wide array of organizations, ranging from health professionals and
suicide prevention groups to pharmacies and health centers to local public
health officials, law enforcement, and city associations. 

"We are so appreciative of Rep. Peterson's leadership and the outpouring of
support on this vital legislation," stated Jeff Rochon, Pharm.D., Washington
State Pharmacy Association Chief Executive Officer. "Pharmacists strive to
ensure the safe and appropriate use of medications. Increased access to
medication take-back programs in pharmacies will create safer homes by
reducing misuse of unused medications and help prevent suicide, overdoses
and opioid addiction."

"Our state's Sheriffs and Chiefs are honored to be part of the team to help
keep our communities safer by getting dangerous drugs off the streets and
out of homes." Said Steve Strachan, Executive Director of the Washington
Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs.

"We're delighted to see secure medicine return being implemented at the
state level, and we appreciate Representative Strom Peterson's leadership,"
said Jefferson Ketchel, administrator for the Snohomish Health District.
"This program has been tremendously successful in Snohomish County, and to
have a consistent system statewide will be crucial to preventing drug abuse
and misuse." 

"The Washington Food Industry Association, on behalf of its grocery store
pharmacies, has been a strong proponent of pharmaceutical take back
programs." said Jan Gee, President & CEO of the Washington Food Industry
Association. "This new statewide approach will allow our members to help
their customers to properly dispose of remaining medications through a safe
and efficient program."

"WSALPHO is very pleased to see the legislature take action and pass a
statewide safe medicine disposal program.  This program addresses important
public health issues such as the opioid epidemic, injury prevention, and
environmental quality and health." Said Chris Bischoff, President of the
Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials. "Having this
program available throughout the state also reinforces that these issues are
impacting our rural and urban counties alike." 

"We know cities and towns throughout Washington are struggling with the ugly
impacts of the opioid epidemic on our communities," said Peter King,
Association of Washington Cities Chief Executive Officer. "A great part of
this new law is that cities throughout the state will have at least one
secure drug collection location, removing unneeded prescription drugs from
our medicine cabinets and making our streets safer."

"One big step forward for WA state residents helping then to keep their
homes safer - drug take-back is a vital tool to prevent suicide deaths and
attempts." said Jennifer Stuber, Faculty and Policy Director, Forefront
Suicide Prevention at the University of Washington. 

"We were glad to support this bill because we know that suicide tends to be
an impulsive act, so reducing the means to commit suicide -- such as
overdosing with certain leftover medications -- is an effective prevention
strategy," added Charles Meredith, Washington State Psychiatric Association
Legislative Chair. "This measure will to some degree help ensure the safe
disposal of such medications," he concluded.

"Nurses have supported local medicine take-back programs enacted in several
counties, and we are thrilled to see Washington become the first state in
the nation to implement a statewide medicine take-back program," said Jan
Bussert, President of the Washington State Nurses Association. "Nurses know
that patients and families need a safe and convenient way to dispose of
unwanted and unused medications in communities across our state - and a
statewide secure medicine take-back program will ensure every resident has
access to this service."

"Washington's doctors see firsthand the impact that medication misuse and
abuse has on our patients and their families. This important legislation
will give our patients a convenient and easy way to return medications that
they no longer use or need," said Donna Smith, MD, president of the
Washington State Medical Association. "We are aggressively working to reduce
medication misuse and the abuse of prescription opiates. We are committed to
helping our patients better understand the promise - and the perils - of
these powerful pain-relieving substances."

"The opioid crisis has affected communities all across our state - both
urban and rural - and most of the opioids that are abused actually come from
family members and friends with leftover medication." according to Cassie
Sauer, CEO of the Washington State Hospital Association.  "A statewide drug
takeback program would give everyone access to a safe way to dispose of
their unused medication, helping prevent addiction across Washington State."

"Washington dentists are committed to working with other health care
organizations to help reduce the opioid epidemic that is harming families
and communities around our state and across our country," said the
Washington State Dental Association's President, Dr. Cynthia R. Pauley.
"This secure drug take-back program is an important, common-sense step that
will help make a real difference in that work, and we are proud to have had
a role in working with legislators and other stakeholders who came together
to make it a reality."

"According to a recent report from Safe Kids Worldwide, children can open
child-resistant pill bottles in seconds -- often with tragic results: a
child in the U.S. is rushed to the emergency room for an accidental
medicine-related poisoning every nine minutes, on average. Once every hour,
a case is serious enough that a child needs to be hospitalized. And every 12
days, a child under the age of 6 dies," added Priscilla Lisicich, President
of the Washington Association for Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention.
"All the more reason to have unused medications safely removed from the
home," she concluded. 

"We were pleased to see the Legislature adopt this smart policy requiring
that medicine manufacturers provide safe medicine return drop boxes and
mailers across our state." said Heather Trim, Executive Director of Zero
Waste Washington. "With pharmaceutical industry support, drug take-back
programs will be more convenient and accessible, making it easy for people
to safely dispose of old medicines to prevent misuse as well as protect our
water quality and wildlife."

Next steps in implementation of the WA Secure Drug Take-Back Act.

Under the WA Secure Drug Take-Back Act, drug manufacturers whose medicines
are sold in or into Washington State must submit a program proposal by July
1, 2019 explaining how they will provide a drug take-back program meeting
the law's requirements. The bill also defines earlier deadlines for when
manufacturers must contact pharmacies, hospitals, law enforcement, and other
potential medicine collectors of the opportunity to participate in their
program by hosting a secure drug drop box. The Washington State Department
of Health will review and approve the manufacturers' proposals.

The similar local Secure Medicine Return ordinances enacted in a number of
Washington counties remain in effect until one year after the manufacturers'
statewide drug take-back program is launched and providing services. The
local programs will then merge into a consistent statewide drug take-back
system.

Additional Resources for Media:

Bill summary page:
<http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1047&Year=2018>
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1047&Year=2018 

1 page policy overview:
<http://www.zerowastewashington.org/images/pdfs/1047_drugtakeback_policyover
view.pdf>
http://www.zerowastewashington.org/images/pdfs/1047_drugtakeback_policyoverv
iew.pdf 

List of Bill Supporters:
<http://www.zerowastewashington.org/images/pdfs/1047_securedrugtakeback_supp
orterslist.pdf>
http://www.zerowastewashington.org/images/pdfs/1047_securedrugtakeback_suppo
rterslist.pdf 

Media resources:
<http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/medicine-return-legislation-st
ate/media-resources>
http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/medicine-return-legislation-sta
te/media-resources

Short video "Local Drug Take-Back Laws are a Success" about the
manufacturers' MED-Project program from the Association of WA Cities in
collaboration with the Washington State Pharmacy Association, Washington
State Medical Association, and the Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task
Force:   <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Po4EblbPr8>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Po4EblbPr8

Free-to-reuse images of MED-Project drop boxes and drug take-back programs:
<http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/medicine-return-legislation-st
ate/media-resources>
http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/medicine-return-legislation-sta
te/media-resources 

What Washington residents can do now with their leftover and expired
medications:

Residents of Snohomish and King counties can find many secure drug drop
boxes at local pharmacies, grocery stores, and clinics through the
MED-Project program provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers.
<https://med-project.org/> MED-Project program

Similar MED-Project programs are rolling out in Kitsap County and will
launch soon in Pierce County. 

Kitsap Public Health District's Secure Medicine Return page:
<http://www.kitsappublichealth.org/information/medicine_return.php>
www.kitsappublichealth.org/information/medicine_return.php

Tacoma-Pierce Health Department's Secure Medicine Return page:
<http://www.tpchd.org/healthy-places/waste-management/safe-medicine-disposal
> www.tpchd.org/healthy-places/waste-management/safe-medicine-disposal 

Residents throughout the state can look up existing medicine take-back
locations at TakeBackYourMeds.org, a website managed by the WA Poison
Center.  <http://www.TakeBackYourMeds.org> www.TakeBackYourMeds.org  

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