King County is in the midst of a heroin epidemic, and research shows that people who turn to heroin often previously abused legal prescription opioids. The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Monday that encourages pharmacies and police precincts to put up drop boxes so people can return extra pills of prescription drugs like OxyContin, Valium and Ritalin.
The resolution is sponsored by council members Lorena González and Tim Burgess, who say it's intended to help fight heroin addiction and prevent more deaths by overdose. The resolution endorses a program, which is paid for by the pharmaceutical companies, in which a King County stewardship organization would set up the boxes and train staff in collecting the drugs. Police precincts and pharmacies wouldn't be on the hook to pay for the program, and participation is optional — the resolution just encourages them to take part.
