Thirteen state attorneys general have a demand for the Food and Drug Administration: end the USPS opioid mail-back program.
The coalition argues that putting more drugs in the mail is dangerous and could lead to more drug deaths, not fewer.
“We all want to stop the opioid epidemic and help those who need it. Safely disposing of unused opioids is key in combatting this crisis, and the Biden Administration’s reckless plan to mail back pills is dangerous and misguided,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a press release issued by his office. “Drugs are already being trafficked through the USPS, particularly fentanyl, and putting more pills in the system kicks the door wide open for abuse.”
In the letter, the 13 attorneys general expressed similar concerns to Wilson.
“As law enforcement officials, we must confront this challenge head-on,” the attorneys general wrote. “In doing so, we must use mitigation strategies that provide real solutions. To the greatest extent possible, these solutions should not leave room for increasing numbers of illegal opioids to be distributed on the streets and infiltrate our communities.”
The attorneys general prefer in-home disposal of opioid products that, “quickly remove unused drugs without putting anyone at risk,” according to a press release from the office of Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes.
Proper education and the use of in-home disposal products can increase proper opioid removal by 92%, according to Reyes’s office. However, only 10% of patients properly dispose of unused opioid products.
The letter comes after the FDA announced in April that it would require opioid analgesics manufacturers to provide prepaid mail-back envelopes to help people discard unused prescription opioids.
Attorneys General from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Utah signed onto the letter.
The full letter can be read here.
