Pharmaceuticals Use, Abuse and Drug Return Program Are Symposium Focus Nov. 10-11
Contact: Len Kaye or Jason Charland, 262-7928; George Manlove, 581-3756
PORTLAND — Prescription drug use, abuse, return and disposal are the focus of the multifaceted “2008 International Symposium on Pharmaceuticals in the Home and Environment: Catalyst for Change” conference, scheduled Nov. 10-11 by the University of Maine Center on Aging and the Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group (MBSG).
Dozens of leading authorities from state and federal governments, the prescription drug industry and community healthcare from throughout the country have been invited to present and discuss the latest information on drug use, abuse and safe disposal methods.
Being held at the Wyndham Hotel Portland Airport, 363 Maine Mall Road in South Portland, the conference is designed for health care professionals, policymakers, law enforcement personnel, environmentalists, substance abuse professionals, and others concerned with the human and environmental impact of prescription drugs on individuals, families, communities and the environment. It is open to the public. Program details are available on the MBSG website (http://www.benzos.une.edu/2008conference.htm).
“We’re expecting close to 200 professionals from around the country,” says Jason Charland of the Center on Aging and conference coordinator. “The unique thing about this conference is that it draws together a wide range of professionals who might not normally be at the same meetings or conferences together, and allows for information sharing and networking across disciplines.
The annual conference has proven to be a gathering place for disseminating the latest trend data available on prescription drug use and abuse. It also will showcase the rapidly expanding number of innovative demonstrations throughout the United States and beyond that promote responsible, effective and safe prescribing, usage, return and disposal practices.
The conference is “nationally recognized as a significant public health meeting to attend,” Charland says.
Leading authorities from federal and state government, industry, and community health care across the United States and beyond will present the latest information on cutting edge research, policy and programming addressing such issues as: drug diversion, fraud, prevention, and abuse; new drug-related developments at the federal and state level; innovative national and international prescription drug return and disposal programs; the environmental and health impacts of drug waste; and medication management and prescribing practices.
The MBSG was created to assess problems resulting from the home storage and improper disposal of benzodiazepine and other prescription drugs, which were and still are routinely flushed down toilets, and eventually into the environment.
Benzodiazepines, a class of medications used to treat anxiety, stress and insomnia, are like many drugs that pass through the human body and through municipal wastewater treatment plants and into rivers and streams. The MBSG, which is administered by the UMaine Center on Aging, has attracted interest and cooperation from many disparate entities interested keeping expired or unused drugs out of the environment and out of the hands of people for whom the drugs were not intended, including thieves or children.
“The real significance is that Maine is at the forefront of drug disposal innovations with its EPA-funded drug mail-back program,” Charland says. “We’re forging collaborations with stakeholders from around the U.S. who attend this conference and work together to address timely issues pertaining to prescription drugs.”
The program is being piloted in Maine, with other states observing its success, according to Len Kaye, director of the Center on Aging and Dr. Stevan Gressitt, medical director of the Office of Adult Mental Health Services, Maine Department of Health and Human Services.