Limit child and elderly exposure to unwanted drugs
In addition to the obvious environmental consequences from throwing medicines in the trash or flushing them [“Even if you’re careful, drugs can end up in water,” Business, Feb. 7], equally compelling reasons to safely dispose of medicines include: reducing access to medicines in our homes that are available for teen abuse and minimizing the potential for accidental overdose by children and the elderly.
Three years ago, Group Health set up secure medicine return drop-off boxes at its clinics across Washington state and Snohomish County law-enforcement officers set up drop-off boxes last December. In three years, more than 30,000 pounds of medicines have been safely disposed. But limited voluntary measures can’t address our statewide problem.
Legislation in Olympia would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to pay for a statewide medicine-return program like they do in Canada and some European countries.
The pharmaceutical industry’s solution — throwing unwanted medicines in the garbage — is the cheapest thing to do, but at what cost? A statewide medicine-return program would cost a fraction of a penny per container of medicine sold in Washington state. It’s time pharmaceutical manufacturers take responsibility for taking back unwanted medicines in Washington state.
— Patric L. Slack, commander, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, Everett