Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2019

To amend the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 to authorize the Attorney General, in coordination with the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to award grants to covered entities to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2019 2. Grants for disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications Section 203 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 ( 21 U.S.C. 822a (c) Grants for disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications (1) Grants (A) Awards In carrying out subsection (b), the Attorney General shall award grants to covered entities to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications. (B) Limitation Of the total amount of awards under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, the Attorney General shall not award more than 10 percent to covered entities that are— (i) State, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies; or (ii) manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributors of prescription medications. (2) Discounts for eligible patients (A) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a mechanism by which amounts paid by an eligible patient for an active opioid are discounted at time of payment or purchase to ensure that such patient does not pay any amount attributable to a fee under paragraph (3), with as little burden on the patient as possible. (B) Definition For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term eligible patient (i) a patient for whom any active opioid (as so defined) is prescribed to treat pain relating to cancer or cancer treatment; (ii) a patient participating in hospice care; and (iii) in the case of the death or incapacity of a patient described in subparagraph (A) or (B) or any similar situation as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the appropriate family member, medical proxy, or similar representative or the estate of such patient. (3) Fees (A) In general There is hereby imposed on the sale of any active opioid by the manufacturer, producer, or importer a fee equal to 1 cent per 100 milligrams so sold. (B) Special rules (i) Definition In this paragraph, the term active opioid (I) means any controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act, as in effect on the date of the Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2019 (II) excludes any prescribed drug which is used exclusively for the treatment of opioid addiction as part of a medically assisted treatment effort. (ii) Exclusion of other ingredients In the case of a product that includes an active opioid and another ingredient, subparagraph (A) shall apply only to the portion of such product that is an active opioid. (4) Authorization of appropriations For fiscal year 2020 and each subsequent fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection an amount not to exceed the aggregate amount of the fees collected pursuant to paragraph (3). .

Summary: Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Justice to award grants to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications. Additionally, the bill imposes a fee on the sale of an active opioid by the manufacturer, producer, or importer. The Department of Health and Human Services must establish a mechanism to provide discounts to patients to ensure that they do not pay the fee.