Representatives meet to discuss drug disposal program

By Meghan Erkkinen

Fife Free Press
merkkinen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: July 31, 2008

Representatives of area law enforcement agencies, governments and other organizations met a second time to discuss ways to get expired and unused prescriptions out of the medicine cabinets of area residents. The meeting, held at Fife City Hall June 28, was a continuation of a meeting earlier this month on the same topic.

About a dozen people attended the second meeting. The discussion focused on ways to collect expired and unused drugs through some sort of collection bin located throughout Fife and its neighboring communities, including Milton and Edgewood. The disposed drugs would be collected by law enforcement officers or another selected individual and would be incinerated.

The group, led by city of Fife Councilmember Glenn Hull and City Manager Steve Worthington, seemed to agree that collection sites at police and fire stations, and possibly at other governmental buildings such as city halls or community centers, were a good place to start collection sites.

The group considered using pharmacies as drop-off locations, but legal barriers stand in the way. Numerous laws and regulations limit the possibilities for collecting unwanted medications, including special laws for collecting controlled substances such as painkillers. However, while pharmacists cannot legally collect controlled substances, law enforcement officials can.

The Fife Police Department has determined that its station could be a viable drop-off place for unwanted medications, and the department may also be able to take advantage of its current disposal method for confiscated controlled substances.

Hull and others present expressed a desire to move forward on the project.

“We just want to start and get it going,” Hull said. “I’m just sick of talking about it. Let’s just do something.”

Hull said he’s still interested in pursuing the model of Illinois high school teacher Paul Ritter, who flew out and attended the meeting earlier this month. Ritter’s P2D2 program relies heavily on students to educate the public about the drug disposal program.

“There’s something about children,” Hull said. “They get more accomplished.”

More and more, jurisdictions across the country have been working to address the issue of properly disposing of unused medications.

Reports of trace amounts of over-the-counter and prescription drugs in drinking water have raised concerns, as have stories of children taking or using medications to get high. A report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this month states that deaths from medication mistakes at home increased by more than 700 percent, when adjusted for population, between 1983 and 2004.

“It only takes one pill of some nasty stuff to kill somebody,” Hull said. By implementing a drug disposal program, “you’ll never know who you saved.”

Fife city staff will look at the matter over the next two to three weeks and may have a program outline to present to the city council and citizens within the next two to three weeks. City representatives have expressed their desire to continue to engage representatives of Milton and Edgewood, as well as other communities, as the project moves forward.

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