Take-Back Program Would Tackle 'Epidemic' Prescription Drug Abuse in King County

Scott DePuy isn't sure how his son Ryan first got his hands on prescription medications, but he suspects the drugs may have come from his own medicine cabinet.

DePuy, a firefighter with Eastside Fire & Rescue, said the idea that teenagers would abuse prescription drugs hadn't crossed his mind when his son first started using around 2005. Ryan died of an overdose in 2008.

“It wasn't really anything that was on my mind as a kid….why would it be on our minds as adults? It’s not something we ever really thought of,” DePuy said.

DePuy shared his story with reporters on Thursday while voicing his support for a new medicine take-back program proposed by the King County Board of Health.

Under the rule, pharmaceutical companies that sell medications in King County would be legally required to create a collection service system so people could drop unused medicines at drugstores and law enforcement offices—or mail back drugs in pre-paid envelopes. 

King County council member Joe McDermott, who also chairs the board of health, said officials estimate the program would cost drug manufacturers 2 cents per prescription. Companies would not be allowed to charge a separate fee for the service but could roll the cost into their overall pricing, he said.

A similar measure failed to pass through the Washington state legislature in 2012, but McDermott said he's confident the idea would work well at the county level.

Drug overdoses have now surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of preventable death in King County. Of the overdoses, more are from prescription drugs than cocaine and heroin combined, according to statistics provided by the board of health. In 2010, 209 people died in King County after overdosing on prescription sedatives or opiates.

“Prescription drug abuse is really an epidemic,” McDermott said.

In the years since his son's death, DePuy said he's seen several incidents of prescription drug abuse through his work as a firefighter.

“We see this with kids, we see this with a lot of teens, even young adults,” he said. “Addiction is a disease. It grabs hold of people, and it really holds on.”

Washington state has one of the highest teen prescription drug abuse rates in the nation, according to the state poison center. Of the Washington Poison Center cases involving King County teens in 2012, approximately 90 percent involved pharmaceutical products.

The King County law would be the second of its kind in the nation. Alameda County in California passed a similar ordinance last year, but pharmaceutical companies have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking to prevent the program from going into effect. 

The King County Board of Health will hold a public hearing and may take action on the matter next Thursday, June 20, during a 1:30 p.m. meeting in the Metropolitan King County Council Chambers, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle.

More details on the proposal and information on how to submit written feedback can be found on the county's website.

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How serious of a problem is prescription drug abuse in King County? Do you think a comprehensive take-back program is a good idea? Tell us in the comments section.