Expanding on its successful National Prescription Drug Take-Back Program, the Drug Enforcement Administration will now allow hospitals and clinics with on-site pharmacies to collect excess prescription controlled substances for disposal on an ongoing basis.
The new regulations are designed to further minimize prescription drug abuse and diversion, according to the DEA. They were issued Sept. 8, and take effect Oct. 9.
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The new regulations are designed to further minimize prescription drug abuse and diversion.
Under the regulations, manufacturers, distributors, reverse distributors, retail pharmacies, registered narcotics treatment programs, and hospitals and clinics with an on-site pharmacy can operate disposal programs. Voluntary collection receptacles can be maintained at long-term care facilities as well.
Collected medications must be stored at registered locations in a securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet or a securely locked room with controlled access and may not be stored along with noncontrolled substances, according to the regulations.
Nearly 110 U.S. residents die every day from drug-related overdoses – half of those opioid related, according to the DEA.
"The road to prescription drug abuse is often through the medicine cabinet," Michael Botticelli, acting director of National Drug Control Policy, said during a press conference. "We know that 70% of people who initiate drug use get these drugs free from friends and family. These regulations create new, convenient, and environmentally friendly ways for people to get unneeded prescriptions out of their homes, preventing the possibility of misuse that so often leads to addiction."
The DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Program events began in September 2010. Eight national events have collected more than 4.1 million pounds of medication at 6,000 sites operated by law enforcement agents across all 50 states; the next one is scheduled for Sept. 27.