At this time, most U.S. communities do not offer programs to properly dispose of waste medications. As a result, many consumers keep drugs in their possession because they do not want the drugs to go to waste or do not know how to dispose of them properly. Concerns about the safety and environmental risks posed by keeping medication in the home have prompted some local and state governments and other organizations to initiate drug take-back programs.

Safety Issues

Unused medication in the household may contribute to growing rates of prescription drug abuse among Americans, particularly teenagers.

Many teens erroneously believe that it is safer to use prescription drugs than street drugs, and they report that these drugs are easier to obtain than street drugs². Nearly 60 percent of people ages 12 and older obtain prescription painkillers for free through friends or family³. This behavior poses a serious public health problem and is contributing to the steady uptick in poison-related deaths in the United States. In 2004, 20,950 people died of drug poisoning ⁴.

A study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America of seventh through twelfth graders found that 40 percent of respondents believe using prescription drugs is safer than using illegal drugs. In addition, 29 percent think that pain relievers are not addictive, and 62 percent of teens who abuse prescription pain relievers said they do so because they are easily accessible through parents’ medicine cabinets ⁵. The second most common type of drug abuse after marijuana was prescription drugs. Five of the six drugs most frequently abused by twelfth graders were prescription drugs or cough and cold medicines, as found in a 2006 study ⁶.

Environmental Issues

In the absence of waste pharmaceutical collection programs, residents are often instructed to flush unwanted pharmaceuticals down toilets or dispose of them in the trash. There is concern that these practices contribute to the contamination of surface waters, ground waters, and biosolids. The presence of pharmaceuticals has been linked to abnormalities and impaired reproductive performance in some aquatic species.

¹ “Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.” Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA. Office of Applied Studies.

² “Teens and Prescription Drugs: An Analysis of Recent Trends on the Emerging Drug Threat.” February 2007. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Executive Office of the President. http://www.mediacampaign.org/teens/brochure.pdf

³ “Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.” Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA. Office of Applied Studies.

⁴ “Unintentional Poisoning Deaths.” February 9, 2007. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5605a1.htm.

⁵ “The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS): Teens in Grades 7 through 12, 2005.” May 16, 2006. Partnership for a Drug-Free America.” http://www.drugfree.org/Files/Full_Teen_Report.

⁶ Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P.M., Bachman, J.G. & Schulenberg, J.E. “Teen Drug Use Continues Down in 2006, Particularly among Older Teens; But Use of Prescription-Type Drugs Remains High.” December 21, 2006. University of Michigan News and Information Services: Ann Arbor, MI. http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/06drugpr.pdf.

Indiana-Illinois Sea Grant Program Toolkits Assist Communities

One of more than 30 Sea Grant Programs in the U.S., the Indiana-Illinois Sea Grant (IISG) is focused on the southern Lake Michigan region. This 104 mile shoreline is home to one-third of the population of the Great Lakes area.