Drafter
Clerk 06/05/2013
Title
A RULE AND REGULATION relating to providing safe collection and disposal of unwanted drugs from residential sources through producer provided and funded product stewardship plans by amending R&R 66, Section 1 (part), as amended, and BOH 2.08.085, adding a new chapter to BOH Title 11, and prescribing penalties; enacted pursuant to RCW 70.05.060, including the latest amendments or revisions thereto.
Body
BE IT ADOPTED BY THE KING COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. Residents of King County benefit from the authorized use of prescription and nonprescription, or over-the-counter, medicines. However abuse, fatal overdoses and poisonings from prescription and nonprescription medicines used in the home have emerged as an epidemic in recent years.
B. More people die from prescription medicines than from heroin and cocaine combined. Drug overdoses in King County have surpassed car crashes as a leading cause of preventable deaths, with the majority of overdoses involving prescription opiates.
C. Prescription and nonprescription medicines used in the home are the leading cause of poisonings reported to the Washington Poison Center, and preventable poisonings from medicines have been rising rapidly, especially among children and seniors.
D. Unused, expired and leftover drugs that accumulate in homes increase risks of drug abuse, overdoses, and preventable poisonings. A system for the proper disposal of unneeded drugs is an element of a comprehensive strategy to prevent prescription drug abuse.
E. Flushing medicines down toilets and sinks is an inappropriate disposal practice because wastewater treatment facilities cannot effectively remove or degrade all pharmaceutical compounds. Trash disposal of medicines is an undesirable disposal option because trash cans are not secure and mixed pharmaceutical wastes are household hazardous wastes that should not be disposed of in the solid waste stream.
F. Medicine take-b...
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