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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><img width="600" height="232" style="width:6.25in;height:2.4166in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D45966.AEE20010"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">For Immediate Release</span><br>
</b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">September 30, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Contact:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Marly Young (916) 651-4019 or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:marly.young@sen.ca.gov">marly.young@sen.ca.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;text-transform:uppercase">GOVERNOR SIGNS Jackson bill to create FIRST statewide industry-funded drug & needles take-back program<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Safe disposal of unused prescription drugs and medical needles will reduce misuse and addiction while protecting water supply<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">SACRAMENTO</span></i></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> – Today Governor Jerry Brown signed groundbreaking legislation by
<b>Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), along with Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Adam Gray (D-Merced),
</b>to create the first statewide drug and medical needles take-back program funded by the pharmaceutical industry.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Senate Bill 212 requires manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs and medical needles to establish, implement and fund take-back programs for safe and secure collection and disposal of their products. This is
the first statewide measure in the nation to include both prescription medications and medical needles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“After years of hard work and negotiation, California will become the first state in the nation with an industry-funded pharmaceutical drug and medical needles take-back program. This is a tremendous accomplishment
that will help fight prescription drug abuse, keep pharmaceuticals out of our water supply, and place the burden of disposal on the industry, not consumers or taxpayers. I applaud Governor Brown for signing this groundbreaking legislation,” said Senator Hannah-Beth
Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), SB 212 author. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“The Governor’s signature on SB 212 finally puts California on the path to having safe and convenient ways to dispose of unused medication and sharps. It took years of hard work to get to this point, but a
statewide solution is essential to address the public health and environmental issues brought on by having a limited patchwork of take-back programs,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who is principal co-author of the legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">While there are some safe drug disposal sites in California, there are only 489 locations serving 39 million residents. The patchwork of programs is clearly not enough to meet public demand. In addition, these
sites are financed by local governments, and ultimately California taxpayers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">In 2012, Alameda County became the first local government agency in the country to pass an ordinance requiring drug manufacturers to develop, implement and pay for a drug take-back program. The program was
challenged but prevailed in the courts when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it in 2014 and the U.S. Supreme Court determined they would not hear the case, which allowed the Ninth Circuit Court ruling to stand. This opened the doors to any local government
to require producers to pay for the disposal of their product if it has a public health and safety impact.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Senate Bill 212 is sponsored by the
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.calpsc.org">California Product Stewardship Council</a></span> and has wide support by local governments and municipal agencies, industry associations, consumer safety advocates, and environmental organizations.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“The importance of SB 212 for California and the country should not be underestimated. Californians believe the producers of products should share in the responsibility to manage the negative impacts on society
such as medications fueling addiction and needles in the trash sticking our waste workers, and this bill does that by providing a service Californians desperately want. We hope other states will follow our lead,” said Heidi Sanborn, Senior Advisor for the
California Product Stewardship Council.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">###</span><em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p>
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