DEA Sets Meeting on Surrendered Drug Procedures
The Jan. 19-20 public meeting at the Mayflower Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel will help the agency write the regulations implementing the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has set a Jan. 19-20 public meeting at the Mayflower Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel to help in the development of regulations implementing the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which was enacted Oct. 12, 2010, and amended the Controlled Substances Act to allow ultimate users to dispose of unwanted controlled substances by delivering them to entities authorized by the U.S. attorney general to accept them. The law also allows long-term care facilities to be authorized to dispose of their residents' controlled substances in certain instances.
DEA said it wants oral presentations and written comments on these points:
- The process of the disposal of unwanted controlled substances could create new and unwanted avenues for diversion. What is the safest manner, in your opinion, to dispose of unwanted controlled substances while preventing diversion?
- Please explain why you believe the solution you propose would protect the public health and safety and would curtail diversion.
- Do you foresee any specific obstacles to the disposal of controlled substances in your community or geographical area? If so, what are they?
- How is the disposal of controlled substances affected by state and local laws and regulations?
The law was enacted in response to increasing misuse of prescription drugs in the United States, particularly among teenagers. DEA cited the Department of Justice's 2009 National Prescription Drug Threat Assessment, which reported unintentional overdose deaths involving prescription opioids increased 114 percent from 2001 to 2005 and the number of treatment admissions for prescription opioids increased 74 percent from 2002 to 2006. In 2009, 2.2 million people ages 12 or older abused prescription drugs, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, September 2010.
To give an oral presentation, contact the Liaison and Policy Section, DEA Office of Diversion Control, by Jan. 7 by e-mailing [email protected] and use "Disposal meeting: Request to present" in the subject line. Written comments should be submitted by Jan. 12 to www.regulations.gov using Docket No. DEA-316.