Verde Technologies Shares Deterra Deactivation System Programs for Safe Prescription Drug Disposal at National Association of Attorneys General Meeting Oct. 29 - 30

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To provide a tangible tool for leaders and consumers across the country to take action in preventing prescription drug abuse, Verde Technologies announces a series of initiatives to distribute the Deterra Drug Deactivation System for safe, in-home deactivation and disposal of prescription painkillers. The Deterra programs will be shared during the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Eastern Region meeting at the New York University Law School, from Thursday, Oct. 29 through Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, where attendees will discuss best practices for combatting the heroin epidemic in the Northeast United States and nationally. The Deterra programs provide a concrete, cost-effective way for law enforcement, advocacy groups, healthcare, parents and more to safely deactivate and remove prescription drugs from the home. With estimates that 70 percent of prescription opioid abusers obtain drugs from family or friends' medicine cabinets, safe disposal of leftover prescription painkillers plays a critical role in preventing prescription drug abuse. Preventing prescription drug abuse also reduces heroin addiction, as three out of four people with a heroin dependence began with prescription opioids. The Deterra initiatives also support the Obama Administration's new efforts to address the prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic.

The Deterra System is a self-contained package that works by using patented Molecular Adsorption Technology (MAT₁₂™) to neutralize the active ingredients in opioid painkillers and other drugs in pill, liquid and transdermal patch forms. The cost-effective Deterra System contains a proprietary activated carbon that bonds to pharmaceutical compounds when water is added, rendering the drugs ineffective and safe for disposal in any setting – home, clinic or hospital.

As of 2014, there were more than 1,700 published reports of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in sewage, surface waters, ground waters and elsewhere. Federal, state and local authorities are now recommending (and many requiring) that pharmaceuticals not be disposed in the toilet or sink. The Deterra System eliminates these negative impacts of disposal, keeping leftover pharmaceuticals out of water, landfills and the wrong hands.

Reaching across numerous states and many organizations, including law enforcement, advocacy and prevention groups, pharmacies, and healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations, the common goal of the Deterra programs is to build public awareness of the prescription drug abuse epidemic and provide a safe, cost-effective and tangible tool for residents to take action and reduce prescription drug abuse. The Deterra initiatives include:

• Alabama: The U.S. Attorney's Office - Northern District of Alabama and Alabama law enforcement distributed Deterra during take-back events, encouraging residents to dispose of unused prescription drugs properly at home without damage to the environment.
• Delaware: Verde Technologies is partnering with the Delaware Prescription Drug Action Committee (PDAC) and the Delaware Pharmacists Society (DPS) to launch the first Deterra Drug Deactivation System statewide pilot program in the country. Verde is working with Delaware pharmacists to provide free Deterra to residents, encouraging safe and convenient deactivation and disposal of leftover prescription medications.
• Florida: The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals are partnering to distribute Deterra to residents across Florida's Hillsborough, Collier and Seminole counties, ensuring the safe and effective disposal of prescription medications.
• Minnesota: Several Minnesota law enforcement agencies have implemented the use of the Deterra System with positive results. Deterra is used as a way to combat prescription drug abuse and ultimately heroin, by providing a tool for residents to use in their own homes.
• Missouri: A drug abuse prevention group, ACT Missouri, purchased and distributed Deterra to police departments along with several regional support centers across the state to assist in alleviating prescription drug misuse. The organization is also developing plans to partner with pharmacies to provide Deterra pouches with each qualified prescription pick-up. 
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is funded through NIH, the patented technology has been researched and proven to have a 98.1 percent success rate in deactivating prescription drugs.
• Rhode Island: The Chariho Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention distributed Deterra to police stations and health centers throughout southern Rhode Island for distribution to residents across the region.

"I have witnessed first-hand the explosion of public health and safety issues created by the prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic," said David M. Aafedt, a shareholder in the Minneapolis law firm of Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. and outside counsel to Verde Technologies, as well as dozens of health care providers across many areas of specialization. Aafedt also served as a former Minnesota assistant attorney general representing the Departments of Health and Commerce. "A critical part of addressing the issue is educating the public and encouraging them to remove highly addictive opioid painkillers from their homes. Deterra is a tangible, cost-effective tool for use not only in homes and healthcare facilities, but also for law enforcement."

Verde Technologies leaders will be meeting with attorneys general during the NAAG Eastern Region meeting. For more information during the meeting, please contact Shelli Lissick at [email protected].    

About Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc.
Minneapolis-based Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc., is a privately owned company committed to developing research-based, scientifically proven solutions to reduce drug abuse and misuse. Originally introduced as Medsaway, the new Deterra Drug Deactivation System is powered by patented MAT₁₂ Molecular Adsorption Technology, which deactivates prescription drugs using proprietary activated carbon. The technology is highly effective in adsorbing and firmly binding pharmaceuticals, rendering them inactive and ineffective for misuse and safe for the environment. For more information, please visit www.DeterraSystem.com or follow @deterrasystem on Twitter.

SOURCE Verde Technologies