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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I called the DEA Public Affairs phone number, listed on the press release Stevan sent us (below), to see if I could get more data. They only have total weights for States and DEA Regions. They can't get and didn't seem interested in any information other than this...old news, I know. The women I spoke with actually was under the impression that privacy rules would not allow them to get participation numbers. I pointed out that was not an issue since no names were being collected (let alone names linked with medications.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">She provided contact information for the NY DEA Public Affairs office.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"></SPAN>The NY office called me back since the data was just coming in. NYS had more than 300 sites and collected 37,000 pounds of medications.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> When I asked for a more accurate site count she referred me to the DEA site locator. That was already taken down I told her. The NY office probably had just gotten more detail than this (maybe the totals were not done?) since she was able to tell me that the Syracuse regional office collected 5285 pounds. </SPAN>Not having an exact number of sites or weight count only allows a rough state average to be calculated…123#/site.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I called the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syracuse</st1:place></st1:City> office to learn that they had 34 sites (yielding a more accurate local average of 155#/site.) I presume that all sorts of data were collected at a minority of sites nationwide, especially the number of participants. Since the DEA doesn't ask for any information other than weight, they aren't given it. At this point, it would be very difficult to find the data that was collected. </SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Do you think that if some of us asked the DEA to offer to accept any data a site wishes to provide at the fall collection, they would do so? </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">We could suggest that their offer could be structured in a way that would generate comparable results. Am I wasting my time? <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I think the following information was already posted on the Listserv.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For my own clarity, I asked the main DEA office what their plans were for future collection events. She confirmed that they are planning a fall collection since the rules for the Safe Drug Disposal Act will not be in place before then. They have no intent to hold any collections after that. Once the new rules are published in the Federal Register there will be a final comment period. The DEA may choose to make changes, based on the comments received, before they publish the final rules.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Ed Gottlieb<BR>Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal <BR>Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator <BR>Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility<BR>525 3rd Street<BR>Ithaca, NY 14850<BR>(607) 273-8381<BR>fax: (607) 273-8433<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><BR>>>> Stevan Gressitt <gressitt@gmail.com> 5/3/2012 6:28 PM >>><BR><A href="http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr050312p.html"><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr050312p.html</SPAN></A> <BR style="mso-special-character: line-break" clear=all><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">-- <BR>Stevan Gressitt, M.D., D.F.A.P.A.<BR>Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging<BR>Academic Member, Athens Institute for Education and Research<BR>Athens, Greece<BR>Founding Director, International Institute for Pharmaceutical Safety<BR>University of New England, College of Pharmacy<BR>Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences<BR>Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry<BR>University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine<BR>314 Clark Road<BR>Unity, Maine, 04988<BR><A href="mailto:gressitt@gmail.com" target=_blank><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">gressitt@gmail.com</SPAN></A> <BR>Cell: 207-441-0291<BR><A href="http://www.benzos.une.edu/" target=_blank><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">www.benzos.une.edu</SPAN></A><BR><A href="http://www.safemeddisposal.com/" target=_blank><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">www.safemeddisposal.com</SPAN></A></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>