Safely disposing of medications in Thurston County

Thurston Talk, March 29, 2011
Research shows an alarming increase over the past decade in accidental poisonings. In fact, one-third of all child-poisoning deaths in Washington in 2006 were caused by drugs prescribed to someone else.

Thurston County currently has seven locations (listed below) that accept unused medications free of charge – but taxpayers still ultimately pay the price, as these law enforcement agencies must fund the programs themselves.

The Secure Medicine Take-Back Bill (SSB 5234), which failed to pass in this year’s legislative session in Olympia, would have relieved this financial burden on fiscally strained law enforcement agencies and local governments by requiring drug producers to provide and finance a secure take-back program for unused prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

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