Letter to United States Senators

Letter

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today encouraged Texans to participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, September 25, 2010. With prescription drug abuse on the rise, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is hosting Take-Back Day to urge Americans to turn in expired, unused or wanted prescription medicines at 4,000 locations nationwide. The national effort aims to collect powerful prescriptions that, if left unused in medicine cabinets or around the home, can fall into the wrong hands and feed addictions or cause injury or death. On Take-Back Day, individuals can turn in these medications in any form -- pills, solids, or powders -- anonymously, and DEA authorities will dispose of the medications safely.

Sen. Cornyn this week sent a letter with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to fellow Senators highlighting National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and providing helpful information to share with their constituents. Sen. Cornyn also noted that while he applauds the DEA for initiating Take-Back Day, a more permanent solution is needed in which law enforcement personnel are not solely responsible for prescription drug disposal. Sens. Cornyn and Klobuchar have introduced the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 that would provide consumers and long-term care facilities with safe and responsible ways to dispose of unused controlled substances. Their legislation is supported by 41 state attorneys general and cosponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Herb Kohl (D-WI).

The text of Sens. Cornyn and Klobuchar's letter is below. To read more about National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, visit www.DEA.gov.

September 20, 2010

Dear Colleague,

We write to call your attention to an important event happening this Saturday, September 25: National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and several partner organizations have joined together to conduct a nationwide prescription drug "take-back" campaign that seeks to prevent increased drug abuse and theft, as well as accidental ingestion. DEA, along with state and local law enforcement agencies, will collect potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at sites nationwide this Saturday, September 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Prescription drug abuse has reached alarming levels in recent years throughout the United States. One factor that may contribute to the increased abuse is the availability of these drugs in household medicine cabinets. Under current law, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) requires every person who distributes controlled substances to be registered with the DEA unless exempt by the CSA. We introduced legislation -- S. 3397, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act -- to allow the Attorney General to draft regulations that permit patients to properly dispose of unused controlled substances, by giving those substances to specified entities authorized to collect and dispose of controlled substances. This legislation passed the Senate unanimously last month, and we are now working with our colleagues in the House of Representatives.

As an interim measure, the DEA and its partner organizations -- including the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Attorneys General, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the National District Attorneys Association -- are coordinating a nationwide drug disposal take-back day with various state and local law enforcement agencies. To identify drug disposal sites in your state, please visit www.DEA.gov. More than 3,400 collection sites have already been identified, with additional sites being identified and posted daily.

While we applaud the efforts of DEA and partner organizations for initiating the nationwide drug disposal day, utilizing law enforcement personnel for drug collection and disposal is a stopgap measure. The permanent solution is legislation that provides the Attorney General the authority to establish a regulatory framework that allows for safe and legal drug collection and disposal methods. By preventing the diversion of drugs, we can continue to protect our families and communities.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar
John Cornyn

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