• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) recently introduced a bill to create a statewide program to dispose of leftover prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Modeled after an Alameda County ordinance, the bill would require drug manufacturers to create, finance, and manage a system for collecting and safely disposing of unwanted prescription drugs that people have in their homes. A press release sent out by Jackson’s office compares the system to a program that’s been operated by the pharmaceutical industry in Canada for 15 years. “Every year, billions of dollars in medications is prescribed in California, but as much as 40 to 50 percent of those drugs can end up unused,” Jackson said in the press release. “This creates public health and environmental challenges. When prescription drugs are left in medicine cabinets, teens can get their hands on them, fueling a growing problem of prescription drug abuse. Drugs left sitting around can lead to accidental poisonings by seniors and children. Flushing medications down into the sewage system can affect the water we drink. We need a better solution; one that is safe, convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally sound.” While there are safe drug disposal sites in California—approximately 305 or so—Jackson’s press release states that there aren’t enough to meet public demand, and that those sites are financed by local governments rather than pharmaceutical companies. “We are hoping that the industry will join us in sharing the responsibility for what happens to these unused medications,” she said in the release. The bill will be heard before the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on March 26.
• The Latino Outreach Council of San Luis Obispo County is sponsoring several candidate forums in SLO County. The forums will include candidates for district attorney and for county supervisor. All of the forums will offer Spanish translation for questions and answers. The three candidate forums for the June 3 primary will take place in March and April. On March 26, candidates in the race for district attorney will be at the SLO County Government Center at 6:30 p.m. District 4 supervisor candidates will be at Nipomo High School on April 16 at 5 p.m., and District 2 supervisor candidates are scheduled to speak on April 30 with a time and location to be announced. Submit questions for the candidates through email at latinooutreachslo@gmail.com.
This article appears in Mar 13-20, 2014.