Bill Introduced to Mandate Drug Take-Back Programs for Pharmacies

New City, NY — Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) was joined Friday by advocates from Friends of Recovery, some of whom have lost loved ones to drug overdoses, as well advocates trying to prevent further drug abuse and addiction.

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The topic was Senator Carlucci’s introduction of legislation mandating pharmacies to have drug take-back programs, according a prepared release.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services said 56.5 percent of teenagers obtain prescription medications from friends or relatives as compared to 18.1 percent who had the medicines prescribed to them by a doctor. The CDC came out with statistics that stated more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription medications.

The bill Senator Carlucci introduced would give authority to the Commissioner of Health to develop rules and regulations to require all chain pharmacies in the State to take-back and dispose of any unused prescription medication. This will ensure dangerous unused drugs are kept out of medicine cabinets, which can fall into the wrong hands, such as young adults and children.

The senator’s first victory in battling drug overdoses was making Naloxone available over-the-counter and he feels very strongly this legislation is the next important step to combat drug abuse and prevent more unnecessary deaths.

Caren Schwartz, of Friends of Recovery, said she lost her son a year ago to a heroin overdose, and his addiction started with prescription pills. She thanked Carlucci for continuing to come up with solutions to address the problem.

“I will continue to tirelessly advocate for the recovery community and continue to educate others about the disease of addiction and what is necessary in our community to fight it,” Schwartz said. “This legislation is necessary to assist in getting unused prescription pills off the street and is a great next step in battling this epidemic. Thank you Senator Carlucci for continuing to come up with solutions to address this serious problem.”

Carlucci said prescription drug abuse is a significant public health and safety issue.

“When used as prescribed, prescription drugs are essential to keeping millions of people healthy,” he said. “I am proud to have introduced this legislation and I urge more legislators to sponsor it. The bottom line is we need to get dangerous unused medication off the streets.”

Photo caption: Senator Carlucci, center, standing with Friends of Recovery advocates, Caren Schwartz, left, and Vera Vursta. Photo credit: Courtesy.