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Washington Police Program Hopes to Reduce Prescription Drug Overdoses

In Washington’s Snohomish County, residents are more likely to die from an accidental prescription drug overdose than in a car crash. Local police and health and environmental officials hope that a new pilot program will reduce the number of drug overdoses and accidental poisonings, and prevent more people from becoming hooked on powerful prescription painkillers.

Diana Hefley of Everett, Washington’s Herald Net writes that Snohomish County residents can drop off unwanted and unused medications, including prescription narcotics, at 28 police departments.

Secure lock-boxes are available at stations across the county to deposit unwanted or expired vitamins, cold medicines, painkillers, inhalers, and other medications. People are asked to black out any personal information on the containers but not the name of the medication. They do not have to provide their names, only ZIP codes for research purposes. The boxes will be routinely emptied and the medications will be destroyed by law enforcement.

Parents used to have to worry about their kids raiding the liquor cabinet, but now they have to worry about them sneaking into medicine cabinets, said Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick. “Prescription pills are just as deadly as street drugs,” he added,

Lovick, police chiefs, state and federal lawmakers, and health-care providers gathered in Edmonds Monday to launch the service.

The program follows efforts by Group Health Cooperative and local Bartell Drugs to safely dispose of unwanted medications. The companies have been taking back unused medications from customers, and in nearly three years, Group Health has collected 30,000 pounds of unused medications.

“It's very evident to me people seem to know not to throw the drugs down the drain,” said Dr. Shirley Reitz, associate director of pharmacy clinical services for Group Health.

But the law prevents the pharmacies from taking back prescription narcotics. That's where the new service from law enforcement comes in. Police are allowed to receive and handle drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin, all classified as controlled substances.

“This is not a law enforcement issue. Law enforcement is being forced to take this action because there is a lack of legislation,” said Pat Slack, commander of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

Some state lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this year that called for pharmaceutical companies to develop and pay for drug take-back programs. The legislation failed, but supporters say they will try again, and that the drug companies have a responsibility to provide the service to the public and environment.

“It will take a very small percentage of their profits and invest them in the safety of the citizenry,” said state Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle.

The drug industry has been invested in a take-back program in British Columbia since 1996. The pharmaceutical companies are shouldering the cost of disposing of unused and unwanted medications at a small price, he said.

Opponents of the bill said there's no solid proof that anyone who becomes addicted to prescription drugs gets them from someone else's medicine cabinet. Marjorie Powell, spokeswoman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said there's no guarantee a take-back program will curb the problem.

But health officials disagree and believe removing unused drugs from homes will and prevent accidents.

There are as many teenagers abusing prescription drugs as there are kids abusing marijuana, health officials have said. Three in five teenagers report that painkillers are easy to get from their parents' medicine cabinet, and more than half of prescription drug abusers report that they get the painkillers from family or friends.

Officials hope the new program not only gives people a place to get rid of their unwanted medications but also educates them about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. “We need them to look at these drugs as a loaded gun,” Slack said.

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