Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act will improve drug take-back programs where pharmacies and others accept unused prescription drugs and dispose of them safely. Prescription drugs provide valuable therapeutic benefits to tens of millions of Americans, from treating disease to improving people's quality of life. However, a segment of our society does not use these medications for therapy but, rather, abuses them for some sort of dangerous high. Many teenagers get their hands on these medications by stealing unused medications from the family's medicine cabinet. While some pharmacies, States, and localities have established prescription drug take-back programs, these programs may not take back controlled substances due a technical reading of the Controlled Substances Act. By passing this legislation, these programs could help further reduce the likelihood of prescription drugs being diverted to those to whom they were not prescribed. It is important to note that this bill does not require any entity to establish a drug take-back program. But if a drug take-back program currently operates, it only makes sense to allow that facility to take back controlled drugs like oxycontin as well as noncontrolled prescription drugs. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.”