A RESOLUTION expressing the City’s support for an effective, countywide safe prescription drug disposal program, including controlled substances, and requesting local pharmacies and the Seattle Police Department to install drug disposal drop-boxes across the City.
The Report of the Gender Equity Safe Committees and New Americans Committee ten. Item two Resolution 316 54 Expressing the city's support for an effective, county wide, safe prescription drug disposal program, including control substances and requesting local pharmacies and the Seattle Police Department to install drug disposal drop boxes across the city. The committee recommends the resolution be adopted. Thank you, Councilmember Gonzalez. Thank you so much. I am pleased to move for the adoption of Resolution 31654, which is co-sponsored by myself and Councilmember Timber. Just I want to thank Councilmember Burgess for taking the the lion's share of the drafting of the resolution. Thank you so much, Councilmember Burgess, and and to your staff for doing that. This resolution expresses the city's support for an effective, countywide, safe prescription drug disposal program, including the collection of controlled substances, and request that local pharmacies and the Seattle Police Department install safe and secure drug disposal drop boxes across the city. We all know that in in our city and across the county, we are like so many American cities in the midst of a heroin epidemic. Indeed, in a 2015 report completed by the University of Washington, we learned that drug cars, deaths involving heroin and or methamphetamines peaked in King County, resulting in a 58% increase in heroin deaths . A 2013 study by the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration concluded that four out of five recent heroin users previously used opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone before switching to the less expensive option of heroin. Experts in the field have stated that providing safe disposal of unused prescription drugs, especially of controlled substances, is a public health approach that reduces the risk of nonmedical use that might lead to drug abuse, including heroin addiction. For these reasons, and those further articulated in this resolution, the Gender Equity Safe Communities and New Americans Committee unanimously recommends that City Council adopt Resolution 31654. Thank you very much. Council members Gonzales and Burgess, council member Burgess. Thank you. I think this is a very positive step. To make it possible for residents of Seattle to join other communities in King County to be able to safely dispose of prescription drugs, including controlled substances, police departments from Auburn to Woodinville and from Snoqualmie to now. Seattle will have these safe deposit boxes. Many individuals won't be comfortable going to police precincts, so we encourage pharmacies in our city to install these boxes. Programs supervised by the federal government and paid for by the pharmaceutical companies. So it doesn't cost pharmacies anything to have these collection boxes. They're safe, they're serviced and they're very secure. Thank you very much. Are there any further comments? Those in favor of adopting the resolution vote i. I. Those opposed vote no. The motion carries, the resolution is adopted, and a chair will sign it. Is there any further business to come before the council? If not, we stand adjourned. Thank you very much and have a great afternoon. Very much.