Circulation 94,429 • Volume 26, No. 2 • Fall 2011   Issue PDF

Disposing of Meds

Michele Kalish

To the Editor

I read Dr. Terman’s article “Opioid Prescribing: REMS Sleep, Need Reawakening” from the spring/summer issue with keen interest. I am a non-medical person married to an anesthesiologist who is active in the ASA. With the support of our state medical society, our alliance of physician’s spouses started a Safe Disposal of Medicine project over a year ago. We have been providing informational material to our physicians and their patients about how, where, and why to safely dispose of unneeded medication. We are also stressing the importance of secure storage of medicine and never giving someone medicine not prescribed for them. We have found that a large portion of drug abuse can be attributed to teenagers taking medicine they find in their homes and selling it or sharing it with their friends. I applaud your efforts to work on this important safety issue. Please let me know if our organization can be of any help with your efforts.

Michele Kalish
Immediate Past President, Alliance to MedChi
The Maryland State Medical Society
Safe Disposal of Medicine Project, Chair