Buyback drug proposal is out of touch with the rest of the country

RENTED AUGUSTA CIVIC CENTER – House Democrats today supported a drug buyback proposal (LD 8 – An Act to Support Collection and Proper Disposal of Unwanted Drugs) that is out of touch with the rest of the country and will ultimately make prescription drugs more costly without being more effective. A Republican amendment designed to protect consumers and ensure a bipartisan approach was rejected along party lines.

“This will negatively impact prescription drug users in Maine by raising costs,” said Rep. Jeff Hanley (R-Pittston). “The Maine Sheriffs Association testified that Maine already has a sixteen county program that has ‘the highest collection rates per capita’ in the country. Rather than work with Republicans to craft a bipartisan solution that supports the most successful program in the country, for ensuring unused drugs are removed from homes, Democrats want to create parallel programs. These new regulations will do nothing to improve on what we already have and will raise costs that consumers will ultimately pay for prescription drugs. This unnecessary approach is also out of step with similar programs through the United States.”

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