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<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Greetings all of you wonderful people interested in the issue of waste
pharmaceuticals:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>As one of the founders of this listserv, I want to make a special plea
at this time. After years of sharing ideas, of learning through various
pilot collection projects, and of ever-increasing attention to the subject, it
is time for us to convene a national dialogue of key stakeholders aimed at
coming to agreement on a system for the safe management of unused
medicines. Please go to this link and download a copy of the Product
Stewardship Institute's project prospectus:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>http://www.productstewardship.us/associations/6596/files/PSI_Pharmaceuticals_Prospectus_11-7-07.doc
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><i><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-style:italic'>[Note that web addresses that run
over one line get disconnected; you must re-connect the entire address before
it will work in your browser.]<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Then contact me (#s at the end of this message) or Scott Cassel or
Susan Frechette at PSI (#s in the above prospectus) and make a pledge to help
to sponsor this project so that we can finally launch it in early 2008.
If a few of our agencies or companies can commit to $5,000 or $10,000
contributions, the pooled sponsorship will allow us to move ahead. Now is
the time to help get this important dialogue underway. None of us can solve
this issue ourselves, but together we can work out a shared agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>As you all know, the issue of trace pharmaceuticals in the environment
has gained widescale attention in the last few years, as have the related
issues of prescription drug abuse, deaths from prescription meds, accumulations
of leftover, unused drugs at hospice and long-term-care facilities, and
unethical donations of unused pharmaceuticals to overseas disaster relief
efforts. There are many unanswered questions related to this complex
issue, including the quantities of meds that go unused, sources of
pharmaceuticals to wastewater systems, treatability with existing technology,
treatment options with new technology, environmental effects, etc. One
aspect that we can move forward on in parallel with efforts to address these
and other questions is what to do with unused medicines -- to find an
alternative approach to the nearly universal, historical answer to "crush
and flush." Many of us are not satisfied with the current federal guidance
to dispose of unused meds in the trash, disguised in coffee grounds or pet
poop. There is an ever-growing number of projects and initiatives going on
around the country to try out different models for safe, secure collection of
unused medicines, from one-day events to in-pharmacy collection bins to
mail-back options. In order for these state and local efforts to really
be effective, we need more of a national push to address this issue and its
many complex pieces and to get the right stakeholders at the table.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>One initiative that I strongly support is the Product Stewardship
Institute's project to convene a national dialogue of key stakeholders
regarding unwanted or waste pharmaceuticals. PSI is a very reputable
organization that has been convening these kinds of projects successfully for
years, on such tough topics as waste electronics, left-over paint, thermostats,
fluorescent lamps, and many others. PSI in known for its ability to
facilitate complex stakeholder dialogues and to fairly address all concerns as
the convened groups work toward specific, results-oriented agreements.
The recent agreement on development of a national system for waste paint is a
great example<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>(see:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>http://www.productstewardship.us/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=117
).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><i><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-style:italic'>[Again note that the address might
be split – if so, you'll need to re-combine lines before using it to find
this valuable link.]<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 color=black face="Courier New"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>PSI runs as a small non-profit, so every project needs its own
financial support. This project is scoped at convening four national multi-stakeholder
meetings, as described in the prospectus. The budget is estimated at
$100,000 for this effort, based on experience with related national dialogues
as mentioned above. We are soliciting funding to launch the dialogue
phase of the project. PSI has already interviewed key stakeholders and
conducted research, putting it together into a Draft Action Plan that will be
available in the next few weeks. For the dialogue phase, we have
commitments to date from Waste Management Inc. for $10,000 and from the State
of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Minnesota</st1:State></st1:place>
for $5,000. We are soliciting across a wide variety of stakeholders,
including major pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers, law enforcement,
health interests, wastewater treatment agencies and all levels of
government. If each group contributes a relatively small sponsorship
individually, the sum will gain PSI sufficient support to run the project as
scoped. PSI has a proven track record and can deliver a national
agreement on this complex topic.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Local and state projects should continue in order to test different
models and learn from them. Direct discussion with the Drug Enforcement
Administration should also continue in order to address the critical regulatory
hurdle to allow secure collection of unused controlled substances. In
parallel, it is time to convene the national dialogue to explore national-level
agreement for managing unused pharmaceuticals. I hope that you agree and
will be willing to help to get such a dialogue started by contributing to the
PSI project. A contribution of $5,000 or more (or whatever your business
or agency can chip in at this time), in conjunction with similar levels of
support from a broad group of interested entities, will allow PSI to get the
project underway and bring in other sponsors as the momentum builds.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know if I can
provide any additional information.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>-- Dave Galvin<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">WA</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> Board president, Product Stewardship Institute, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">MA</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>__________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Dave Galvin o King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks o <st1:address
w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">130 Nickerson Street</st1:Street>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">WA</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">98109-1658</st1:PostalCode></st1:address> o (w) 206-263-3085 o (fax)
206-263-3070 o dave.galvin@kingcounty.gov o Local Hazardous Waste Management
Program in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">King</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> o www.govlink.org/hazwaste/
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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