Drug abuse prevention advocates join forces to promote safe drug disposal

The Deterra® Drug Deactivation System, a drug disposal pouch that provides an easy and effective way for people to dispose of unused or expired medications, will partner with a variety of substance abuse prevention advocates who share their commitment to safe and effective drug disposal.

The new Deterra Advisory Council will conduct a variety of efforts to educate policymakers and the public about the unique benefits of drug deactivation kits, such as Deterra, including their ease of use, effectiveness and low environmental impact. Anyone can use a Deterra pouch to deactivate any drug, including opioids. Simply put unused pills inside, add water, wait 30 seconds, seal the bag and throw it away. Each Deterra pouch contains activated carbon, which firmly bonds to pharmaceuticals rendering the compounds inert. Once adsorbed by the carbon, the drugs are ineffective for abuse and safe for disposal in landfills. The pouch itself is environmentally friendly.

“The results from a National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that nearly half of all opioid misuse starts with a friend or family member’s prescription, and it’s likely not a current prescription but one that was left over from a root canal or knee surgery,” said the Honorable Mary Bono, former U.S. Representative of California and Deterra Advisory Council member. “It’s this diversion point, a family member’s medicine cabinet, that Deterra can help with. If everyone had a Deterra pouch and disposed of their unused medications, there would be far fewer pills available for people looking to abuse them.”

Along with Bono, the newly formed advisory council includes William Alden, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DEA Educational Foundation; Major General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman & CEO, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA); Sue Kruczek, a parent advocate who lost her son to a heroin overdose; and Major General Elder Granger, M.D., USA, Ret, the president and CEO of The 5Ps, LLC.

“The opioid epidemic is simply too big for one solution. It’s going to take everyone working together in whatever way they can to finally turn the tide on opioid abuse,” Alden said. “I wanted to work with Deterra because this is one of the things that gives individuals the opportunity to be a part of preventing abuse. If you have unused drugs in your house and you think you don’t know anyone struggling with abuse, you think no one is going to help themselves, you have not been watching the news. Get a Deterra pouch and clean out your medicine cabinet yesterday.”

“I don’t want another parent to have to go through what we went through when we lost our son,” said parent advocate Sue Kruczek. “It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of this epidemic, but drug deactivation kits like Deterra make it possible for every single person to dispose of unused drugs sitting in their medicine cabinets. If we can get everyone to clean out their medicine cabinets of unused drugs, and keep them cleaned out then we will have destroyed a major source of these drugs.”

Deterra has also been utilized by several states to combat the opioid epidemic. In Pennsylvania, the Attorney General initiated a program providing a Deterra pouch and disposal instructions to anyone filling a narcotics prescription in 12 of the hardest hit counties. Similar programs have been started in Kentucky and Montana.

“The latest report from CDC suggested that over 63,000 people died of overdose deaths in 2016 and opioids contributed to more than 65 percent of the overall deaths,” said Major General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman & CEO, CADCA. “CADCA’s coalitions support the full continuum of care—prevention, education, treatment, recovery and we firmly believe that prevention is needed now more than ever. That’s why I support the use of the Deterra drug disposal pouch.”

The Deterra Drug Deactivation System is available for purchase at Walmart, Amazon.com and pharmacies across the country. Anyone who is concerned about opioid abuse and has unused medications in their home should get a Deterra pouch today.

About Deterra and Verde Technologies

Minneapolis-based Verde Technologies® is a privately-owned company committed to developing research-based, scientifically proven solutions to reduce drug abuse, misuse and negative environmental impact. The Deterra Drug Deactivation System is powered by proprietary MAT12® Molecular Adsorption Technology, which deactivates prescription drugs using proprietary activated carbon. The technology is highly effective in adsorbing and firmly binding pharmaceuticals, rendering them inactive and ineffective for misuse and safe for the environment. Learn more at www.DeterraSystem.com