Council ActionCommittee on Public Health and Human Services
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WHEREAS
, Pharmacies in the United States fill more than 3.6 million retail drug prescriptions; and
WHEREAS
, More than 15 million Americans 12 years of age and older reported having taken a prescription drug that had not been prescribed to them for recreational purposes in the previous year; and
WHEREAS
, In 2006, approximately 26,400 deaths occurred in the United States from an unintentional drug overdose; and
WHEREAS
, In 2009, 700,000 visits to emergency rooms were attributed to prescription drug overdoses, and between 2005 and 2009, deaths from accidental prescription drug overdose increased by 68.3%; and
WHEREAS
, Prescription drugs are involved in more overdose deaths annually than illegal drugs; and
WHEREAS
, In 2007 and 2008, 55.9 percent of individuals 12 years of age and older who used pain relievers non medically in the past year had obtained the pain relievers from a friend or relative for free; and
WHEREAS
, In 2007 and 2008, of the individuals 12 years of age and older who obtained nonmedical pain relievers from a friend or relative for free, 81.7 percent indicated that the friend or relative had obtained the drugs from just 1 doctor; and 1.6 percent reported that the friend or relative had bought the drugs from a drug dealer or other stranger; and
WHEREAS
, The improper disposal of prescription drugs may result in chemicals contaminating the environment and water supply; and
WHEREAS
, Collection programs reduce the supply of unused, unwanted prescription drugs in the United States and could reduce the incidence of prescription drug abuse and accidental overdose; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,
That the Committee on Public Health and Human Services is authorized to hold hearings to investigate the National and Local emergence of the improper use and disposal of Prescription Drugs and the need for a Prescription Drug Disposal Program in Philadelphia, PA.
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