US House Passed Safe Drug Disposal Act of 2010

October 1, 2010 10:01 AM

The Safe Drug Disposal Act of 2010 (HR 5809), an act that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide for take-back disposal of controlled substances in certain instances, passed in the US House of Representatives. Intended to help prevent prescription drug abuse and diversion, the law would allow patients to return unused CS prescriptions to authorized persons in accordance with regulations issued by the Attorney General. The law would also allow long-term care facilities to dispose of unused CS drugs according to the adopted regulations. In addition, this act would require that the National Drug Control Policy director and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implement a public education program. EPA would also be required to study the impact of current methods of CS drug disposal and provide recommendations. The act was received in the US Senate on September 23, 2010, and referred to committee.