Ayotte Urges Reinstatement of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) this week signed a bipartisan letter urging the Department of Justice to reinstate the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) sponsorship of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days. While the DEA has recently issued regulations that would legally expand the options for disposal of controlled substances, Senator Ayotte and her colleagues expressed their disappointment that the Agency has simultaneously announced that it no longer intends to sponsor National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days.

"In light of the yet to be seen widespread adoption of alternative and easy to use disposal options for consumers, we urge you to reinstate this program given the vitally important role it plays in reducing the excess supply of prescription drugs," wrote the Senators. "To address the crisis of prescription drug abuse and overdoses related to this abuse it is imperative that a secure, convenient way to dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired medications exists. Drug take-back days have proven to be an incredibly successful means for reducing the supply of prescription drugs in the home."

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers in 2012, the most recent year with data available, amounting to enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of painkillers. Approximately 44 people die every day in this country as a result of prescription opioid overdose and more than 30 people are admitted to an emergency room because of opioid complications. Furthermore, some individuals who become addicted to prescription opioid painkillers may be driven to use illicit substances such as heroin, which have similar neurological effects. According to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study, approximately four out of every five new heroin users previously used non-medical prescription pain medication prior to using heroin. Additionally, death from heroin overdose in the U.S. has almost tripled between 2010 and 2013.

The letter was led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and signed by Ayotte and Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).