* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Harris
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Investigative Hearing - Establishing the Utilization of Unused Prescription Medications Pilot Program in Baltimore City
FOR the purpose of examining the feasibility of establishing the Utilization of Unused Medications Pilot Program in Baltimore City to determine the efficacy of implementing a program statewide to redirect unused prescription drugs to local government pharmacies where the drugs can be re-dispensed to poor persons at no charge.
Body
Recitals
A study published in the Journal of Family Medicine, in 2001, estimates that across the United States approximately $1 billion worth of unused prescription drugs are being thrown away each year. As the cost of prescription drugs reach stratospheric heights, more of the nation's officials and consumers are trying to find ways to stop the waste and, at the same time, to address the needs of those who can not afford life-sustaining medications.
Of the several states, including Louisiana, Ohio, California, Maine, and Washington, that have passed or are considering legislation to allow the redistribution of unused drugs, Oklahoma has the most effective program. The Utilization of Unused Prescription Medications Act was unanimously enacted by the Oklahoma legislature in 2001, to provide for a pilot program in Tulsa County that, after almost 2 full years of accumulated operational experience, was expanded statewide in 2003.
Und...
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