Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

District of Columbia Code Division VIII. General Laws. § 48-851.02. Safe disposal of unused pharmaceuticals.

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a)(1) The Board of Pharmacy shall design a public education campaign to educate individuals on:

(A) The importance of promptly disposing of unused pharmaceuticals to avoid accidental overdoses, medication errors, and household drug theft;

(B) How disposing of pharmaceuticals by flushing them into the public sewer system or throwing them in the trash can be harmful to the environment and can contaminate the drinking water supply; and

(C) How to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

(2) Each retail pharmacy licensed in the District of Columbia shall implement the public education campaign as required by the Board of Pharmacy.

(b)(1) By July 1, 2010, the Board of Pharmacy shall make recommendations to the Mayor regarding the establishment of a program to enable consumers to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals, including controlled substances, in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

(2) In developing recommendations, the Board of Pharmacy shall give consideration to a mail-in program that:

(A) Utilizes prepaid mailing envelopes that allow an individual to mail unused pharmaceuticals to a single collection location approved for all pharmaceuticals including controlled substances;

(B) Distributes the prepaid mailing envelopes to the public at various locations, including to all retail pharmacies;

(C) Provides for the collected pharmaceuticals to be disposed of in a manner that is:

(i) Safe;

(ii) Secure;

(iii) Environmentally sound; and

(iv) In compliance with District and federal environmental requirements; and

(D) Randomly assesses the toxicity of pharmaceuticals received; provided, that the assessment results do not identify the:

(i) Patient;

(ii) Person who mailed the material;

(iii) Prescriber; or

(iv) Pharmacy.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - District of Columbia Code Division VIII. General Laws. § 48-851.02. Safe disposal of unused pharmaceuticals. - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/dc/division-viii-general-laws/dc-code-sect-48-851-02/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard