Legislature passes Sen. Carney bill to establish a stronger drug take-back program

AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, a bill from Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, received support in the Maine House. The bill, LD 8, “An Act to Support Collection and Proper Disposal of Unwanted Drugs,” would make drug take-back programs more accessible.

“We can keep unwanted drugs from contributing to substance use disorder and from contaminating our water by adopting this bill,” said Sen. Carney. “Six states and many municipalities have already enacted similar programs for unwanted drugs. These programs have proven to be a safe, effective and inexpensive way to address public health and environmental harms caused by improper disposal of unwanted or unused drugs. I’m glad the Legislature has supported such a valuable bill.”

LD 8 mandates that specific drug manufacturers work together to create a drug take-back program that is more frequent and reliable than drug take-back programs currently in use. Its purpose is to protect against the inappropriate use of drugs, especially by minors, and to account for the environmental concerns based on the way drugs are currently disposed of in Maine. This bill originally was introduced in the 129th Legislature by then-Sen. Geoff Gratwick, D-Bangor. LD 8 is an updated version of the previous bill, reflecting extensive work with many stakeholders.

The Senate voted in favor of the bill on April 29. The bill now goes to Gov. Janet Mills for her to sign into law, veto or allow to become law without her signature.

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