The Drug Enforcement Administration has now issued the final rule necessary to implement the bipartisan legislation Klobuchar passed into law with Republican Senator John Cornyn to expand drug take back programs

Since the law passed, Klobuchar has pushed the Administration to implement the law in order to help provide Americans more options to safely dispose of unused medications and combat drug abuse

Washington, D.C. – After a major push from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has implemented her bipartisan law to help fight prescription drug abuse and combat the growing heroin epidemic. The DEA has now issued the final rule necessary to implement the bipartisan legislation Klobuchar passed into law with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to expand drug take back programs. Since the law passed, Klobuchar has repeatedly pushed the Administration to implement the law in order to help provide Americans more options to safely dispose of unused medications and combat drug abuse.  Prescription drugs are a dangerous gateway to even deadlier forms of addiction and abuse, with as many as four out of five heroin users having previously abused prescription drugs, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

“Prescription drug abuse has reached crisis levels, and today’s action is a huge step forward in reversing this deadly trend,” Klobuchar said. “This law will now give families new options to get rid of leftover pills before they fall into the wrong hands and fuel abuse.”

Klobuchar has consistently called on the DEA to enact her bill into law. In addition to repeatedly taking to the Senate floor to urge for its implementation, Klobuchar spoke to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart to urge action and also pressed Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell on the issue. At a forum with Former President Bill Clinton, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and other experts in May, Klobuchar highlighted the need to implement the law in order to provide consumers with safe, responsible ways to dispose of unused prescription medication.

In the last 4 years, over 4 million pounds of prescription drugs have been collected across the country during designated prescription drug take-back days. Klobuchar’s Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act takes these efforts to the next level by providing consumers with more safe and responsible ways to dispose of unused prescription medications and controlled substances. The law expands options for individuals as well as long-term care facilities, and promotes the development and expansion of prescription drug take-back programs.

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