Wednesday, July 26th, 2019 – Yesterday, the Legislative Regulation Review Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly approved regulations allowing the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) to register and regulate drug disposal boxes in retail pharmacies.
“I am pleased that these regulations are approved and will allow this program to go forward,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, “Too many of our family members, friends, and neighbors begin suffering from addiction because of what they find in a medicine cabinet, and it’s important that we have secure ways for families to dispose of medication. I want to thank the members of the Regulations Review Committee for their consideration of these regulations, and I am proud we’ve been able to balance accessibility and security in this program’s details.”
DCP is permitted to phase in up to 50 drug drop boxes at retail pharmacies per calendar year. These drop boxes will be added to the nearly 100 drop boxes at police stations in Connecticut.
Drop boxes in retail pharmacies must:
- Be within view of the pharmacy area, but not behind the pharmacy counter;
- Be secured (locked, secured to the building); and
- Monitored regularly to ensure there is appropriate available capacity.
Medication in drop boxes must be transported for disposal by a licensed wholesaler of drugs.
An application for interested pharmacies will be available on DCP’s website in the coming weeks. Applications will be online only. Pharmacies with questions or concerns in the meantime may contact the state’s Drug Control Division by emailing dcp.drugcontrol@ct.gov.
The list of drug drop boxes in Connecticut can be found by visiting ct.gov/dropbox.
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Media Contact:
Lora Rae Anderson
lorarae.anderson@ct.gov
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