Bart Stupak: “I rise in support of S. 3397. Millions of Americans are prescribed narcotics for postoperative pain, bone fractures, and…”

“I rise in support of S. 3397. Millions of Americans are prescribed narcotics for postoperative pain, bone fractures, and other ailments each year. However, most patients do not consume all the prescriptions they are prescribed. These drugs remain in drug cabinets for years, easily accessible to teens wishing to experiment with drugs. But failure to dispose of prescription medications properly causes several problems. First, there's the potential for a child to ingest the drugs accidently. Second, we know that teen prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Unused prescriptions in a house are easily accessible to teens wishing to experiment with drugs. Third, there's a potential for narcotics to be abused by the patient or sold to someone else to abuse. This legislation allows individuals to dispose of unused prescription controlled substances to a recipient authorized by the DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration.”