12 Business View Magazine - May 2016
Opening
Lines
Walgreens Leads Fight Against Prescription Drug Abuse
in California with New Program to Help Curb Misuse of
Medications and the Rise in Overdose Deaths
Walgreens recently announced that it has implement-
ed the first of two programs in California to combat
drug abuse, part of a comprehensive national plan an-
nounced earlier this year to address key contributors
to the crisis.
Individuals in California now have a safe and conve-
nient way to dispose of their unwanted, unused or ex-
pired prescriptions, including controlled substances
and over-the-counter medications, at no cost. Wal-
greens has installed 50 safe medication disposal ki-
osks in Walgreens drugstores
across the state. The safe medi-
cation disposal kiosks make the
disposal of medications easier
while helping to reduce the mis-
use of medications and the rise in
overdose deaths.
“By making safe medication dis-
posal kiosks available in select
California stores and expanding
to other states this year, Wal-
greens is taking an important first
step to curb the misuse of medi-
cations throughout the country,”
said Alex Gourlay, President of
Walgreen Co. “As a pharmacy, we
are committed to playing a role in what must be a com-
prehensive solution to prevent prescription drug and
opioid abuse.”
To kick off the launch of the safe medication disposal
program in California, Walgreens hosted a series of
events with local lawmakers working to fight the drug
abuse crisis in the state leading up to the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescrip-
tion Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30. U.S.
Safe medication disposal program launches with installation
of kiosks in 50 pharmacies in California
