Tacoma News Tribune Editorial

On Monday morning, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor, Magaret Shield from Take Back Your Meds, and Dr. Anthony Chen of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department sat down at the Tacoma News Tribune with the editorial board. They came up with this great editorial. Check it out here.

Prescription Drug Take Back Coverage

Phuong Le did a story for the Associated Press on the state-wide prescription drug take back bill (SB 5234). The story can be found in the following places:

The Seattle Times
The Tacoma News Tribune
Seattle PI
Tri-City Herald
MSNBC
KOMO News
KIRO TV
KEPR TV
The Bellingham Herald

Take Back Your Meds coverage

There was a lot of great coverage over the weekend regarding the state-wide secure medicine return bill (SB 5234) that is alive in the Senate. It will be decided by Feb. 14th if it passes through the Rules Committee and makes it to the Senate floor.

Everett Herald on the prevention of drug abuse and accidental poisoning

The Columbian health reporter on why pharmaceutical companies are opposing this much-needed bill

The Olympian featuring an op-ed on the critical legislation for disposing unused and unwanted meds

King 5 covered a couple pushing for a drug takeback program in Washington after losing their son

Health district supports second drug take back bill

The Central Kitsap Reporter published an article yesterday regarding the need for a safe prescription medication disposal system in Washington state, and Kitsap County in particular. County law enforcement says its resources are "strained" by the collection and disposal of prescription drugs. The Kitsap Public Health District believes that pharmaceutical companies should take on the cost burden.

The passing of Senate Bill 5234 would establish a safe drug collection and disposal program funded by the drug manufacturers themselves, and the health district's board of directors and the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office give their full support to this bill.

Scott Daniels, deputy director for Kitsap Public Health District explained that unused prescription medications around the home are responsible for 32 percent of child poisoning deaths in the state. Prescription medications left in homes contribute to teenage drug abuse and street sales as well as home burglaries, according to deputy Scott Wilson, spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.

The session closes in two weeks, and Kitsap County officials are still trying to get more support for the bill.

For more information see the Central Kitsap Reporter article here.

Son's death prompts parents to fight for new Rx drug law

A Granite Falls couple, who lost their son to a drug overdose, is crusading for a law which would require pharmacies to take back unused prescription drugs. KOMO News covered their story today.

Because they're relatively easy to obtain from home medicine cabinets, authorities say more and more young people are experimenting with prescription drugs.

There are currently drug take-back programs in 17 of Washington's 39 counties, but they are voluntary and only police departments can take back narcotics.

The bill is still alive in the Senate and will be closing in two weeks. For more information, visit the Take Back Your Meds website

The Columbian editorial: Danger in Your Cabinet

The Columbian posted an editorial yesterday regarding the push for a state-wide secure medicine return bill to safely dispose of old prescription drugs that collect dust in medicine cabinets across the state. Lawmakers would be wise to expedite the measures for many reasons, but two in particular: this is not another government program, and it's budget neutral. The Columbian gives their support for Senate Bill 5234 and House Bill 1370, which legislatures will vote on next week.

To read the article in its entirety and for more information, read it here.

DEA Take Back Day sucessfully collects hundreds of pounds in unused medicine

The Drug Enforcement Agency's National Drug Take Back Day went over very well in Western Washington. At several locations across the area many prescription drugs were collected, preventing potential environmental damage and making our medicine cabinets a little safer.

While the day was a great success, Take Back Your Meds is still working to get a permanent take-back program instated which will place the financial responsibility on pharmaceutical companies instead of tax payers.

National Drug Take Back Day on April 30

To support National Drug Take Back Day, the Take Back Your Meds coalition is encouraging Seattle residents to drop off unwanted or expired medicines at Fisherman’s Terminal on Saturday, April 30th. The site will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with the Port of Seattle Police Department; the one-day event provides communities with access to safe medicine return locations in an effort to reduce the increasing rates of accidental poisonings and prescription drug abuse while protecting the environment.

National Drug Take Back Day highlights the critical need in Washington for an ongoing and sustainable, state drug disposal program. Poisonings are the leading cause of accidental deaths, surpassing car crashes in Washington. Take Back Your Meds is comprised of local law enforcement agencies, health organizations, drugstores, local governments, environmental groups and community organizations. The coalition supports a statewide medicine take-back program financed and run by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

For more local sites for National Drug Take Back Day, visit: www.takebackyourmeds.org/dea-events.
For more on Take Back Your Meds, go to: www.takebackyourmeds.org.

Take Back Your Meds talks take-back programs for a greener planet on Earth Day

For Earth Day Take Back Your Meds program representatives were able to present their green alternative to traditional methods of disposing medicines. Take Back Your Meds emphasizes that flushing your unused medicine down the toilet or throwing it away in the trash will only lead to a more chemically polluted environment. This is one of the many reasons why our community must implement a permanent take-back program. Take a look: