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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>After fiery impasses over cap-and-trade legislation, the Oregon Senate went back to work over the weekend and passed <b><a href="https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/HB3273">HB 3273<span style='font-weight:normal'> </span>B Safe Drug Disposal</a> </b>to create a drug take-back program provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Senate vote was 27-2 after a House vote of 56-3. Governor Kate Brown is expected to sign the bill. This will make Oregon the 4<sup>th</sup> state in the nation (after WA, NY, and CA) to enact a pharmaceutical stewardship (aka extended producer responsibility or EPR) law for take-back of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Congratulations to <a href="https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/schouten/">Rep. Sheri Schouten (D-27, Beaverton)</a>, the bill’s prime sponsor! Congratulations to all the organizations and agencies who worked hard to pass this good bill, which included: Association of Oregon Counties, League of Oregon Cities, OR State Pharmacy Association, OR Society of Health System Pharmacists, OR Nurses Association, Coalition of Local Health Officials, OR Association of Clean Water Agencies (ACWA), and the OR Pediatric Society.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Many of these organizations have been working for years on this issue, which was initially championed almost a decade ago by OR ACWA. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I was pleased to play a role over the years in collaborating with several these Oregon groups, providing drug take-back policy briefings for Oregon legislators. and providing insights from our pharmaceutical stewardship policy development and legislative battles in Washington State. During this session, I provided policy consultation to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which also supported passage of this legislation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Once again, the pressure of passage of a local ordinance (well done <a href="https://www.co.washington.or.us/HHS/News/drug-takeback-ordinance.cfm">Washington County, OR</a>) and the imminent spread of more local laws, helped pushed the pharmaceutical industry to the negotiating table on a state bill. The strong votes in both chambers show that legislators understand the need for a robust and sustainable drug take-back program and also support requiring the pharmaceutical industry to finance and operate the program. However, don’t let the supermajority Yes votes fool you. There is a lot of hard and smart work needed to get to this strong outcome, through policy development, coalition-building, and lobbying.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Oregon legislation was primarily modeled on Washington State’s <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=69.48">Secure Drug Take-Back Act</a> of 2018. The policies are very similar in requiring manufacturers to provide a convenient statewide drug take-back program, with at least 1 secure drop box in each county, and 1 box in every city or town, and additional drop boxes for every 50,000 people in each city or town. Prepaid mail-back envelopes will also be available to all residents, and specifically to in-home hospice services. Collectors, such as pharmacies and hospitals, are not required to participate; but importantly, any qualified authorized collector that wants to participate in the manufacturers’ program must be included. Pharmaceutical manufacturers selling “covered drugs” in Oregon will fund, design, operate, and promote the drug take-back program.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In several regards, the OR bill is stronger than the WA law (no sunset clause, for example). On some other issues, the OR bill has some compromises as a result of PhRMA lobbying (such as exclusion of biologic drugs and pet medicines). I plan to put policy comparison analysis up on my website (<a href="http://www.cehstrategies.com/safer-meds">www.cehstrategies.com/safer-meds</a>) shortly to help other jurisdictions wanting to craft the strongest policy that provides the best services to residents.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Great to see the momentum for pharmaceutical stewardship growing to help protect our families from medicine abuse and poisonings, and keep these drugs out of our waterways! Onward!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>Margaret Shield, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>(pronouns: she/her/hers)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>Community Environmental Health Strategies, LLC<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>Smart Science & Policy for Our Health and Environment<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>Seattle, WA <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:margaret.shield@CEHstrategies.com"><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif;color:blue'>margaret.shield@CEHstrategies.com</span></i></a><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'>mobile: 206-499-5452<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Candara",sans-serif'><a href="http://www.cehstrategies.com/"><span style='color:blue'>www.CEHstrategies.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>