A bill to address prescription drug abuse among current and former members of the military was introduced on Tuesday by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
The proposed legislation is named the Service Members and Veterans Prescription Drug Safety Act. It targets the reduction of drug abuse and suicides by directing the attorney general to establish drug take-back programs in coordination with the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.
The number of reported suicide deaths among service members reached 349 in 2012. Recent data collected from 21 states by the VA in January 2012 revealed that 22 veterans take their own lives each day. The VA also found that 29 percent of suicides involved individuals with a known history of psychotropic medication use, including anti-depressants and pain medicine, such as opioids.
The current law only permits the Drug Enforcement Administration to designate authorized collectors to safely dispose controlled substances through drug-take back programs.
Collins said the DEA, however, failed to work with the DOD and VA to provide service members and veterans with reasonable access to appropriate mechanisms for the safe return and disposal of prescription medications.
“The suicide rate among our active duty service members and our veterans is not only deeply disturbing, it is absolutely unacceptable,” Collins said. “The data suggest that prescription drug abuse is a salient factor in many of these cases. By simply giving our service members and veterans access to facilities where they can dispose of prescriptions that are no longer needed, we can help save lives.”