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Slaughter Proposes Bill Aimed At Fighting Opioid Abuse

Town of Irondequoit

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has introduced legislation designed to help address an opioid abuse epidemic in the U.S.

On Saturday, Slaughter announced the legislation at an event with Irondequoit Supervisor Dave Seeley and Police Chief Richard Tantalo highlighting the importance of National Drug Take Back Day. That’s a day set aside to provide a safe, convenient way to dispose of prescription medications.

Slaughter says new data shows that opioids, which include prescription pain medications and heroin, contributed to more than 28,000 deaths in 2014.

She says her bill would hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for their products’ safe disposal.

The bill, called the Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act, would provide Americans with a convenient way of safely disposing of prescriptions to make sure that extra pills are kept out of the hands of children or criminals and don’t end up in the water supply.

The legislation requires that the program is financed by pharmaceutical companies. The drugs would have to be collected and disposed of at the locations where the prescription medications are dispensed.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.