Charlie's Law Becomes a Bill

On January 17, 2019 the Senate Health Committee passed Charlie's Law as a bill. This legislation requires all health care providers who write prescriptions in the state of New Jersey to inform all patients of proper drug disposal protocol. Charlie's Law is named after Charlie Van Tassel who suffered, and ultimately succumbed to addiction.

Along with providing written instructions on how to properly dispose of medications, the healthcare professional must explain the potential risks accompanied with not disposing of medication safely. In addition, pharmacists must make a Drug Deactivation System product available to neutralize 98% of medications. This reduces the chance of drugs infiltrating a water supply or landfill.

Every day, over 2,000 teenagers dive into the world of addiction by trying medication not prescribed to them for the first time. One in three Americans have unused or expired medication left around their house. For those who struggle with addition, like Charlie, a bottle left unattended could be life-threatening. When pharmacists education patients on proper drug disposal, hopefully more lives can be saved from addiction.

United Pharmacy Network supports this bill and looks forward to, hopefully, seeing it become a law not only in New Jersey but across the nation. Help us help you dispose of medication safely.