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<div style="direction: ltr;font-family: Tahoma;color: #000000;font-size: 10pt;">It appears that PhARMA created the My Old Meds education program (mentioned in other postings) to promote trash disposal as the
<font size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt;">"preferred" disposal method. In addition to pushing trash disposal, they make community take back seem inconvenient and untrustworthy.
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Their websites (now branded for states) </span></font>use the <a href="http://www.americanmedicinechest.com/">
American Medicine Chest Challenge</a><em> </em>database as the method to find the location of community drop off locations. This data base does not include many (most? all?) DEA registered Public Controlled Substance Disposal Locations nor does it include
all law enforcement locations. When I asked that they include the nine locations I set-up, they would only do so if I accepted their branding.<br>
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The My Old Meds websites mention local take-back events yet fail to list any means of locating them, not event the DEA locator.
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What they do is devote half of the description of "community drop off locations" to a warning,
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<blockquote>"only seek out programs that are structured to prevent theft or diversion of unused medication and protect patient privacy. This means not returning medications to unlocked or unsupervised drop off locations or boxes, as this may contribute to drug
abuse and diversion." <br>
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Similarly for, "local take-back events":<br>
<blockquote>"Like stated before, be sure your local take-back event is run by law enforcement and structured to prevent theft or diversion of unused medication and protect patient privacy.
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<p>Alternatively, <a href="http://myoldmeds.com/safe-storage-disposal/in-home-disposal">
in-home disposal</a> is always the fastest method to securely dispose of your old meds."</p>
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The locations and events they are suggesting could be insecure are either run by law enforcement agencies or adhere to strict DEA rules designed to prevent diversion and protect patient privacy.
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My Old Meds has now become the state supported educational tool for Kentucky (link to news story below). I suspect that most, if not all, of the officials present at the kick-off event had no idea of how biased the program they are supporting is. PhARMA clearly
has a good sales pitch and there is still no organized, unbiased, effort to educate state officials about safe disposal of unwanted pharmaceuticals.<br>
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<blockquote>"Health and Family Services Cabinet Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy Executive Director Van Ingram, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard Sanders, Kentucky Department for Public Health Commissioner
Dr. Hiram Polk and Kipp Snider, Vice President of State Advocacy for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) gathered at the Kentucky State Capitol today for a kick-off event for the My Old Meds Kentucky public education initiative."<br>
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<a href="http://www.thegleaner.com/story/news/local/uca/news/2016/11/01/my-old-meds-kentucky-kickoff-event-held-state-capitol/92374758/" target="_blank">http://www.thegleaner.com/story/news/local/uca/news/2016/11/01/my-old-meds-kentucky-kickoff-event-held-state-capitol/92374758/</a><br>
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Do you have any ideas on how to organize/fund an educational effort for state officials across the country? PhARMA should not be the only voice they hear!<br>
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Ed Gottlieb<br>
<div style="font-family:Tahoma; font-size:13px">
<div style="font-family:Tahoma; font-size:13px"><font><span style="font-size:" lang="en-US">
<div>Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal<br>
</div>
<div>Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator</div>
<div>Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility<br>
525 3<font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><sup>rd</sup></font> Street</div>
<div>Ithaca, NY 14850</div>
<div>(607) 273-8381</div>
<div>fax: (607) 273-8433</div>
</span></font></div>
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