[Date]
[Legislator Name]
[Legislator Title]
[Committee Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State, Zip]
RE: Support for [bill number]— [bill title]
Dear [Title] [Legislator Last Name]:
[Your organization’s name] and the other signees of this letter strongly support[your city/county/state name]’sintroduced drug stewardship legislation ([ordinance number]), which would establish a producer financed and managed collection program.This bill provides proper disposal options for unwanted and expired pharmaceuticals—both controlled and uncontrolled substances—and provides residents with a convenient way to safely dispose of unused medications.
Each year, over $1 billion worth of leftover drugs are thrown in the trash, flushed, or relegated to medicine cabinets. Drug take-back programs provide residents with a convenient way to safely dispose of unwanted and expired medications. Removing unwanted prescription drugs from the home reduces their availability to addicts, curious teens, innocent children, and pets. One U.S. citizen dies every 14 minutes from drug overdose, and properly disposing of drugs can help quell this national epidemic. These programs also prevent medicines from being thrown in the garbage or down the drain, where they can enter the environment and contaminate our waterways.
Local, state, and federal government agencies consider pharmaceutical collection programs the safest, most effective drug disposal solution, and have deemed trash disposal as a last resort. However, due to limited budgets, governments often have trouble paying for these programs. Passing this [LAW/ORDINANCE] would provide sustainable funding for this critical service, removing the burden from governments and taxpayers. It would ensure that the pharmaceutical industry, which is responsible for putting these drugs on the market, is held responsible for their products’proper disposal, and that they do not continue promoting trash disposal.
Currently, 16 local jurisdictions and 2 stateshave passed a law or provision similar to the proposed ordinance in [this city/county/state], and many state and local governments around the country are introducing similar bills. [This city/county/state]has the chance to stand among these leadersin preventing drug-related death and injury, and environmental contamination.
We commend the [legislative body]on drafting this legislation.Thank you for your strong leadership on this important issue.
Respectfully,
[Name], [Title]/[Organization]
Federal Pharmaceutical Stewardship– Support Letter
February 23, 2016 1