WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced today that there are more than 220 sites available throughout the state where Ohioans can safely dispose of unwanted prescription drugs on “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.” This event, to be held on Saturday from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Drug Take-Back Days are aimed at reducing the amount of expired or unused prescription drugs for illegal use or prescription drug abuse. After the DEA announced that it no longer intended to sponsor National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, Brown and his Senate colleagues sent a letter to DOJ Attorney General Loretta Lynch in May urging the program’s reinstatement.

“Abuse of prescription drugs—especially painkillers—can devastate communities. Too many teenagers can get prescription drugs from the family medicine cabinet or from family and friends who no longer use the medicine they were legally prescribed,” Brown said. “That’s why these DEA-sponsored Drug Take-Back Day are so important in Ohio. All prescription medications—especially addictive opioid painkillers—should be disposed of safely to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.”

Ohio’s death rate due to unintentional drug poisoning increased 366 percent from 2000 to 2012 and in 2007, unintentional drug poisoning became the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio, surpassing motor vehicle crashes and suicide for the first time on record. Prescription pain medications are largely responsible for increasing numbers of overdoses and deaths in Ohio.

Brown continues his fight to help treat and prevent prescription drug abuse. Following his urging, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it would revise regulations to expand the use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence. In August, Brown called on HHS to increase access to medication-assisted therapy (MAT) for patients struggling with opioid addiction. He is also a cosponsor of The Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act, bipartisan legislation reintroduced in May that would remove the cap on the number of patients physicians with proven track records of success can treat using MAT.

In August, Brown announced the bipartisan the Stopping Medication Abuse and Protecting Seniors Act – legislation to create a patient review and restriction, or “lock-in” program that would limit Medicare beneficiaries with a history of drug abuse to seeing one prescriber and one pharmacy. This drug abuse prevention plan will also encourage insurers, Part D plan sponsors, and health care professionals to assist beneficiaries battling addiction in seeking substance abuse treatment.

Brown also cosponsored the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, bipartisan legislation that will help provide safer and more effective pain management services to our nation’s veterans. The legislation focuses on strengthening the VA opioid prescribing guidelines and improving pain management services. The Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act would also help strengthen patient advocacy, expand access to complementary and integrative health and wellness, and enhance VA hiring and internal audits. The bill is named for U.S. Marine Veteran Jason Simcakoski, who died at a Wisconsin VA facility in August 2013 as a result of mixed drug toxicity.

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