Walgreens plans to open six kiosks across Oregon where people can drop off unused medications, hoping that if the surplus drugs can be disposed of safely, they’ll be less likely to end up in the hands of addicts.
“Everyone has a role to play in minimizing prescription drug abuse, and we are committed to being part of a comprehensive solution to reverse this epidemic,” wrote Richard Ashworth, the president of Walgreens pharmacy and retail operations.
The six kiosks will be spread around the state, with locations in Grants Pass, Redmond, Salem, Beaverton, Gresham and the 39th Avenue location in Portland. Walgreens has 77 stores in Oregon. Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said the Vancouver store on 164th Avenue also has a kiosk.
Walgreens will also make Naloxone, or Narcan, readily available without a prescription. The state has been loosening restrictions on its dispensation, since Narcan is non-toxic and can save lives in emergency situations by blocking the effects of opioids and reversing an overdose.
Naloxone does not completely stem the effects of an overdose but it does give people more time to make it to a hospital emergency room after an overdose.
U.S. Sen Ron Wyden of Oregon praised Walgreens for its efforts to aid in the fight against opioid abuse, and noted that their model could be adopted by other pharmacies across the state.
“Opioids have hit Oregon like a wrecking ball,” Wyden told reporters at the Walgreens store in southeast Portland where a kiosk is being installed. “We need to mobilize our public health leaders and concerned companies like Walgreens … if we’re going to turn this around.”
Oregon House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, cited statistics that 44 people die in the United States every day from prescription opioid overdoses, and Oregon loses three people every week.
A coordinated program between the state and Multnomah County trains people on how to administer Naloxone, she said, which has been correlated with a drop in heroin overdoses in the county from 101 in 2013 to 72 in 2014.
“We know that smart policies like this can save lives,” Williamson said.
Wyden sat on the House-Senate Conference Committee that hashed out the details of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which President Obama signed into law last month. The CARA law increases resources for addiction treatment, expands disposal sites for medications and strengthens the state prescription drug monitoring programs to catch pill shoppers and guide them to treatment.
“You can cut off access to opioids but the addiction does not magically go away,” he said. “You’ve got to have smart, savvy, community-based programs like [the Walgreens kiosks].”
