Opioid abuse and addiction can start in different ways, and one of these is the temptation that leftover opioids present.
With roughly billions of unused opioid prescriptions left in American medicine cabinets and sock drawers, individuals have easy access to these addictive drugs. Even holiday party attendees can raid these hiding places and get their fix.
Leftover opioids can also fuel drug use experimentation by teenage children. These can also serve as the gateway to dealing with opioids.
Although there are efforts to remove this health threat, it just isn’t enough.
The Problem with Take-Back Days
Twice a year, the Drug Enforcement Administration hosts prescription take-back days where anyone can drop off any amount and type of pills at designated locations with no questions asked.
The most recent event resulted in a net 456 tons of pills collected. Unfortunately, only a fraction of this volume is prescriptions that help reduce the risks of addiction and overdose.
Because the event is also spaced 6 months in between, patients and consumers will be able to get more prescription drugs. So there’s really no telling how much leftover opioids should have been collected.
Take-back days should be as routine as bottle and can recycling for the collection of excess medications to make an impact population-wide.
In 2010, Congress has passed a legislation that authorizes and requires opioid dispensaries to operate prescription drop-off locations for the whole year round. Unfortunately, the idea has yet to take off in a massive way.
Among the participating organizations, only 2.5% complied, as reported by the Government Accountability Office. North Dakota has the highest number of participating organizations at 32%.
What are the key barriers?
- Safe-like maintenance of prescription drop-off container
- Staff training on relevant regulations
- Proper disposal of returned medication
All these will cost organizations money they may not have and most of them are unwilling to absorb the cost of prescription drop-off sites’ operation. Whether in the public or private sector, their response is the same.
CVS Health, however, took the opposite path as they volunteered to build 750 disposal kiosks in their pharmacies.
Forcing Manufacturers to Participate
Opioid manufacturers earn revenues by the billions. Some of them may even have played a part in starting the opioid epidemic. So why not tap into their deep pockets for supporting prescription returns, especially opioids?
The government can make it mandatory for these manufacturers to offer incentives to consumers and patients for every bottle of pills returned to drop-off locations. This could be just what the United States needs to reduce, if not completely eliminate, leftover opioids and opioid addiction.
It can also be the key to starting a habit that is automatic and prevalent like can and bottle recycling.
It happened to bottle recycling, after all.
What started out as cash deposit incentives for recycling bottles has now become a widespread habit and one that is done voluntarily.
Considering the public health risks that opioid addiction poses on the addict and the people around them, doubling the efforts to collect leftover opioids in homes should be a priority.