In their November 2014 newsletter, The California Product Steward Council spotlighted the matter of Pharmaceutical products. The Pharmaceutical industry is beyond large. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report that about $275 Billion in prescription drugs will be prescribed by end of 2014. This number is projected to increase come 2015. The large amount of drugs pose a great, but easily overlooked, threat to the environment. Improperly contained or disposed drugs can introduce foreign elements to natural environments. A geological survey taken in 2002 has shown an increased concentration of pharmaceuticals in 80% of the streams they studied. Several entities in California have taken on the challenge of how to keep drugs from getting into the environment.
One entity that has addressed the issue of pharmaceuticals can be found east of San Fransico, in Alameda County. This county was the first in the US to pass a safe drug disposal ordinance; which made the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the safe disposal of medications unused by the public. The pharmaceutical companies sued Alameda County in attempts to strike down this ordinance but the ruling was in favor of the County of Alemeda.
Other groups have created good ways to handle excess pharmaceuticals. Non-Profits like Dispensary of Hope and Sirum have created networks where extra medications can be donated and distributed among medical centers and even to individuals who meet certain qualifications.
For more information about this subject, please visit http://www.calpsc.org/products/pharmaceuticals