More on what to do with leftover drugs

My friend Jeanne at the Assertive Cancer Patient blog, has located Cancer Drug Repositories in various states that would accept donations of cancer treatment drugs: Don't Dump Those Drugs! http://www.assertivepatient.com/2008/01/dont-dump-those.html.
Nebraska is one of the states with an official Cancer Drug Repository Program in place, and a list of those registered linked at this site: http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/cancerdrugs/. I checked out the state statutes, and found out that they would not have accepted my unused prescription of Oxycontin (hey, I sure didn't get any good out of it - ibuprofen turned out better for my head pain than the narcotic), as the drug is a controlled substance - see number 7 in the list below of what cannot be donated into the program.



6-003.06 Non-Acceptable Cancer Drugs: The following categories of drugs are not
acceptable for dispensing or distribution under the program:

1. A cancer drug that bears an expiration date prior to the date of
donation because the effectiveness of the cancer drug cannot be
ensured;
2. A cancer drug that is adulterated or misbranded pursuant to Neb. Rev.
Stat. § 71-2401 or § 71-2402 because the effectiveness and safety of
the cancer drug cannot be ensured;
3. A cancer drug that has expired while in the repository program;
4. A cancer drug in packaging that has been opened, unsealed, or
tampered with or that is no longer in its original container because the
safety of the cancer drug can no longer be ensured;
5. A cancer drug packaged in single unit doses if the outside packaging
is opened and the single-unit-dose packaging is also opened because
the safety of the cancer drug can no longer be ensured;
6. A cancer drug that requires refrigeration, freezing, or other special
temperature requirements beyond controlled room temperature
because the effectiveness and safety of the cancer drug cannot be
ensured; or
7. Controlled substances because Federal Law prohibits their return.


Cheeky Librarian here again - the Cancer Drug Repository is a wonderful thing to donate to if you have unopened, non-perishable, unexpired cancer treatment drugs left over for any reason. I plan on keeping the Program's link handy for possible future leftover drugs that are not controlled substances. As for future controlled substances, I will have to continue to chuck them out with the coffee grounds for now.