Posted by Miles on November 24, 2003, at 19:01:39
Did you know . . . if you've got unused or unfinished medications, you to donate it to centers that send it to those in need overseas. When my dad died, we donated all his (expensive) heart medication the PlanetAide listed below. Its a great way to help others and do your part.
Here are some of the "Drug Recycling" places I've come across that accept almost ANY used / unused meds (except narcotics), most of which are funneled to the men, women and children suffering from the AIDS epidemic and used to treat the primary disease and host complication that come from it.
1) Planet Aide
http://www.planetaide.org/involved/drugrecycle.htmlDonated medicine may be mailed to:
PlanetAide
3010 Hennepin Avenue South, Ste 176
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408OR to see a nationwide listing of dropoff sites, go to:
http://www.planetaide.org/involved/drugrecycle_sites.htmlNOTE: They have an application if you want to join their network and become a drop-off site for your area.
PLANTAIDE's MISSION:
"PlanetAide has a drug-recycling program benefiting patients of doctors in developing countries treating HIV/AIDS. Priority is given to communities where poverty and prejudice are great and to pregnant mothers who have AIDS. Medicine is donated without charge to people with AIDS who are indigent and would be without assistance otherwise. Donations are made to doctors knowledgeable about managing antiretroviral therapy and opportunistic infections.We will take open containers and outdated medicine. We particularly need antiretrovirals and medicine treating opportunistic infections. We will take any medicine (with the exception of narcotics), vitamins, over-the-counter products and anti-depressants as well as medical supplies. Please DO NOT send us narcotics.
"While it would be illegal for us to collect medicine and dispense it within the United States, it is not illegal for us to collect medicine and donate it to people in developing countries which we do without charge to the recipient nor do we distribute for resale. Names and RX numbers should be crossed off all prescription medicine that is donated in order to maintain anonymity and so that prescriptions cannot be refilled should they fall into the wrong hands. (PlanetAide has had a 100% delivery rate of packages sent to communities where mail delivery is often not reliable because we have taken precautions and made arrangements to avoid this theft.)
If you have any questions about this program, please call 612-333-6003 and ask for Jack Weatherford."
2) Another site that offers a listing of many drug recycling ogranizations:http://tgoodwin.tripod.com/med_recycling_projects.htm
poster:Miles
thread:283365
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031121/msgs/283365.html