over 100-0000 of these -- there's 1 million bottles sitting on people's kitchen sink. you don't know when it expires. looking at this -- when you grab it off the shelf in the middle of the night because you have a pain or problem, that's a real formula for disaster. i do know that too many seniors are in the same boat not knowing what's in the bottles and what's the problem. this is a serious issue. my mother, a former nurse put herself in the emergency room three times because of what medication she had forgotten. as we heard earlier, often times this might be good for you. or maybe not. children in the home especially they're young and teenagers can access to the drugs as well

and those seniors are a subject of abuse and theft. i would like to encourage you to move this ordinance to the full board so the seniors are dispose of their medications and keep the land -- speaker: i'm going to call a couple more cards. kenny, keith and charles minister, and dede workman and larry. speaker: michael lion for california alliance for retired americans and great panthers. we strongly urge that you pass this legislation onto the full board of supervisors. speaking from a senior perspective, medication errors after heart attacks and strokes are the biggest cause of admission to

emergency rooms throughout the state. this is largely because our medications change often. when we go to the hospital, we're offered new medication in addition to the ones we were regularly taking. those come home with us and clutter up our medicine cabinets. paradox, another effect of the epidemic of opioids abuse is that for people with chronic pain, it's becoming harder for them to be able to get pain medication and i don't have statistics but i have stories of friends of mine, so anything that can be done to reduce this would be good. as far as the opposition from big farma i'm amazed they're willing to show up in san francisco. their outrageous

profits and their high prices caused millions of people not to be able to take medicines that they should be. it means that medicare and medicaid, state government and the city of san francisco are burdened with huge cost that they shouldn't be happening. and further more, they don't really own those medicines that they claim because the public actually contributes about 80% of the cost of the research for those drugs. so those are our drugs. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker please. speaker: hello there. my name is henny kelly and i'm curious about what's going on. i brought my curious george box. and i want to show you it. look. these are only my drugs. i haven't brought my husband's drugs. i

can't carry those. and i have more inside. i have over 100 pills here. i also have with me one penny. for every hundred pill that you can go into this program, it cost, after the complete set up, approximately one penny. i have a lot of people in this room, who take drugs. we're all worth this one penny if it saves one life. my daughter happened to take a pill when she was a very young child that was out ready to be disposed. it happened to be in a place where she could see the red color. she took it. she fell asleep. we got worried. it wasn't the time of day for her to fall asleep so

we called poison control. we talked to my uncle who left the pills there to be thrown out later in the day, and we found out the exact dose age she had taken. they told us she would sleep 12 to 18 hours. she woke up. other people's children don't wake up. and that is a problem. our environment, our children, our elders, slee -- three things we have to protect will be protected if we pass this ordinance and follow through. thank you. speaker: thank you very much, mrs. kelly. next speaker, please. speaker: you can leave the pennies. [laughter] speaker: thank you. i'm a member of the california reliance senior and disability action, and national

active and retired federal police. this seems like a no brainier to me. people have to be responsible for the products they put on the market. when pg and e gas lines blew up in san bruno, we didn't ask you to pay for it. we know pg and e are going to pay for it. they're on the hook for billions of dollars. we know the pharmaceutical companies in this world make billions of dollars. they're the highest paid ceo's amongst ceo of organizations and they have an ultimate responsibility to pay for the disposal of these drugs that they manufacture and send all over the world. and like an earlier speaker said, we know they make fortunes and they want to continue making fortunes and not provide the drugs at a reasonable cost for millions of people around the world. so the fact they might be on the hook for a

couple thousand dollars a piece, it's ridiculous that we have any kind of opposition and i stand here that you support this. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker, please. speaker: good afternoon, supervisors. i'm dede with the chamber of commerce. the chambers are happy to work with you on the language in this ordinance. we have many members that will be impacted by the legislation and everyone appreciates weighing in during the drafting process. we know there's a prevision in the ordinance regarding the alameda county, should the supreme court grant a rid that the -- that ordinance won't become effective until 30 days after that has been rendered. we say this is recommended that it's operational only if the alameda county is found legal by the federal

courts. that decision may reflect on the legality of this ordinance as well. speaker: next speaker, please. speaker: good morning, larry with sharp solutions. i'm a permanent -- i handle the take back programs in the state for the northern part of california. i'm here to testify in favor of this because in the last year i took 80 tons of pharmaceuticals to the plant to be destroyed. we've only scratched the surface and there's a huge opportunity for us to provide these programs throughout the state. thank you. speaker: thank you very much. keith i called up, but i don't think he spoke yet. but i'm going to call a couple of names. peter decamer, andrea

ventura, paul jensky and carlos gutierrez and sandra mac, if you can step forward. speaker: good afternoon, i'm peter and i'm the policy director for the river trust. the river trust is here in san francisco. the tawalam fills the reservoir and provides 85% of our drinking water. back in 2008, the san francisco pc approved the water system program. a great project, upgrade the system and make sure it's seismically sound. embedded in the proposal to provide 20 million gallons the water to meet the projections and the

environmental community and many others were opposed to that and they compromise and cap water sells and focus on recycling and ground water to meet additional need and in working together we did a good job at that. the recycled water project on the west side has begun and that's used for irrigation, but the future of water is portable reuse either indirect, letting it go through the soil to the ground water or putting it into the pipes and the technology exists, but one challenge is pharmaceutical. we need to make sure our water is clean. there was a study a couple of years ago and it was likely because the climate was -- by 2100, a lot of people think the new drought is the new norm.

we have to think about our water system and making sure it's clean. it's not just about the bay and wild life, but about humans as well. president breed, thank you for your leadership. speaker: thank you. next speaker, please. speaker: good afternoon, my name is adrian ventura. we have 4,000 members in san francisco alone, that's 50,000 in bay area. i'm not going to talk about the water impacts because you've heard about those already today and given the limited time, but what i do want to share with you today is we are a citizen based organization and we talk to the public everyday at their front doors, on the phone with our members and at public event and through social media. we got concerns from the san francisco bay to their

taps. on monday, i actually met with our field outreach staff and asked as i've done in the past, what they've heard from residents in san francisco since this ordinance was first introduced and the response has been, overwhelmingly positive in support of this. frankly to a degree, i've never seen in my career. people in san francisco recognize that these chemicals, pharmaceutical companies are get noog the bay and the drinking water and -- they're concerned when they throw these chemicals in the trash, and they're looking for solutions that are cost effective. but most of all, we've heard that industry needs to take responsibility both for the physical, creation of these programs and for the financial aspects of this for three core reasons. consumers already pay

more for their medications than any other industrial treatment and they pay for their water and the association cost for accidental poisoning. they've done their share. it's time for the industry who is profiting to step up and do there's. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker, please. speaker: good morning, my name is carlos. i'm the senior director of state government affairs for the product -- dietary supplements. i stand in opposition to this legislation, this ordinance today for a few reasons. number one, public safety. there are no federally controlled sun stances -- federal controlled substances currently

on the market. there isn't a high rate of abuse or diversion of fda approved over the counter medication in stores or pharmacies and to the extent they are, there's a function of safe -- at the end of the day, it's to have it stored at your home when you might need it. number two, environment, i think we have to rely on science. and the science associated with our government. the fda and the epa and even the world health organization have stated that traces of pharmaceuticals in the water supply pose no harm to humans. they state that in home disposal is adequate and appropriate. and they state they're small traces of pharmaceuticals in the water and we're really

talking parch patrillion. it passes through our body. to put it frankly, it passes through our body. there's issues i haven't been able to speak to your staff. at the end of the day, this is a progressive policy because ultimately consumers will have to pay for more for their medication that they rely on. over the counter medication and prevent folks going to the doctor. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker, please. speaker: good afternoon, supervisors. paul on behalf of recology. recology through sunset skafben energy. recology supports this legislation for a couple of reasons. environmental and also for worker's safety. i've been asked a couple of times, when i throw the drugs into the trash, which i'm told to do it, it's in a

container or blister pack, that's not going to get into the environment. just to give you an idea of where that goes. when the trash gets picked up, it goes to a compact truck that crushes it down to 2/3 volume and it's run over by a tractor and they compat it further before it's pushed off a ledge and driven to a land field, and dumped in the land field and run over by bulldozers. that might be the only way to get the cap off the bottom for some of those medications. the others is for safety worker. we want to get to zero waste and that means we have to touch every trash in san francisco. that means that workers are going to be exposed to these drugs and

medications. for those reasons -- speaker: i would like to call a few more cards. speaker: richard and sonia and catherine hide. speaker: hello, my name is mac. i'm can the california -- sorry, i'm with the california alliance of retired americans. as you may or may not know, the california alliance of groups. i was in my automatic mode there, sorry. we are, in california alliance, we're in favor of this bill and we hope, not only will this committee send it forward with a due pass recommendation, but it gets a unanimous vote at the board of supervisors. if there

is an amendment made -- unless the supreme court says it's not legal. that's the first thing i would like to make. i would like to say and i should have said this first, i want to thank supervisor breed and mar for bringing this forward. and i would point out that i'm one of those people who have -- as supervisor breed mentioned closes the medicine cabinet and forget about it because of the difficulty. it's not science difficulty, it's inconvenience. for example, i took something [inaudible]. i never got a return bag. and then took some medication to the local police department and i asked their guy, is it okay and he said, well, i'll take it. so as a matter of fact, i'm

left with some [inaudible] something like that, a couple of bottles hydro coden and other stuff. but i want to point out that i'm not alone on this. it sits there waiting for me to find someway that it's sustainable, accessible to get rid of this stuff. i urge you to help me. thank you. speaker: thank you. next speaker, please. speaker: good morning, thank you supervisor yee and members of the committee. i'm the vice president of government affairs for bay bio. we represent the legion leading pharmaceutical companies plus the 100 plus here in the san francisco. we submitted a letter this week detailing many of our concerns and i'll only touch on a few here, the ones i think is press for us. the goal of

improving water quality will not happen due to the fact that most -- and just looking at the science talking to proponents to proponents -- beyond that, the lack of shared responsibility in the bill is troubling to us. if retail collection kiosk is a feature, we think the retailers should participate. we understand that not every facility is a good match for this, but we're required to give a stewardship plan. if we identify locations that's -- they should have to participate and they have a chance to express their concerns during that process. the prohibition is one that concerns us as

well. we understand that we should have some [inaudible] in the game and if the program happens, we will. however, by charging a fee to consumers, it's a sign of value to the program. on the other hand, it signals there's a disposal option for the life of pharmaceutical. you do a good job of letting consumers know they can take it back. electron i -- electronic products and -- i know when i'm done using it, i can take it back. speaker: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good morning, president breed. my name is sonia and i'm speaking on behalf of the sierra club. sierra club supporting the safe drug disposal ordinance. we're concerned as

many emphasized by the growing quantities and their improper disposal because of their easy options. the rising evidence of pharmaceuticals being detected in the bay is alarming as well as the abuse of course potential by other people. as san francisco moves towards increase use of recycled water for its water supply which will be happening as we face ongoing drought, we do need to use every means available to keep medications out of our waste water in the first place. given this successful pilot program and the examples of programs in the u.s. and other countries, we feel this ordinance offers a proven solution. we like it aims for broad, convenient access to disposal locations and other options. and it reflects a fair funding and efficient administration model.

we respectfully urge you to take this important step towards protecting human and environmental health by moving this ordinance forward. thank you. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker, please. speaker: i name is [inaudible]. i'm apart of the marine program in marine and in costa which is working with the law enforcement and other agencies to get drugs out of homes because we see -- i see over the 30 years of being a consultant pharmacy and working with young people, by getting the drugs safely out of homes is very important. 73% of the drugs that are taken by kids, young people and young adults come from homes. and making -- again, getting the word out in the

community and making it easy for them to dispose their medications is what we need to do. they do it in other countries we can do it too and i'm in support of your ordinance although i live across the bay and i work in marine. i wanted to let you know we're looking close to your ordinance and we're having public hearings. thank you. speaker: thank you, next speaker please. speaker: good morning, and thank you. i'll be brief because you've heard for so many people. my name is catherine hide and i'm speaking to the concerned professional. i lived in san francisco for a number of years, for 18 years, i was a social worker and visited hundreds of people of frail older adults and elderly in their homes, and we saw thousands and thousands and thousands of drugs stock piled in their homes and they didn't know what to do with them. in my more recent

past for the past 18 years, i've worked in solid waste management and recycling in san francisco and i'm aware of the needs of safe disposal for the public, and it needs to be convenient. i'm very concerned about these medications injuring our water systems and the hazard to our children and adults so i strongly urge you to support this ordinance for a safe, secure via message the drug company. speaker: thank you very much. next speaker. that's the last speaker card i have. so if there are any other members of the public who would like to speak that would like to speak, please line up to my left. speaker: my name is kirk rhymes. i'm representing the bran -- we're a community located in the bay view. thank you president breed for

championing this issue. your commitment to the environment, public health and the safety of our children is appreciated. much has been said already of why having safe medicine collection system is important for the environment and public health. i want to add a few key perspectives and i'll score a few points. we have no independent pharmacy in the bay area. we thank the department of the environment with working with the city college of san francisco, and the san francisco public utilities commission to locate a collection bin at the southeast community center to give bay view residents to take their unwanted medication. the walgreens along third street should participate. they should help our community by keeping medicines out of the hands of kids who may abuse it. much has been said about the shared responsibility by the

testimony today by the folks who are taking responsibility are the city and us rate payers, not tax payers, but rate payers. it's time for -- i'm a water customer and i pay my bills on time and the water utility in san francisco uses my money to educate those not to flush pharmaceutical down the toilet. recology uses money to educate consumers not to put their medicines in the trash. i get that too. that's also my shared responsibility. but what about the drug manufacturers and their shared responsibility. whether they're in paris, or even zurick. how are they contributing to keeping the medicine out of our bay.

speaker: next speaker, please. speaker: good afternoon, commissioners. joshua, speaking in my capacity as president of the san francisco commission on the environment. first i want to thank you president breed for your leadership on this issue and moving us to this point. it has been a long time coming. there's a lot of us who are excited about moving forward and we hope you will with strong recommendation today from the committee to the full board. we've had hearings that the environment commission, you've heard from our staff, our expert staff who leads the nation in thinking through these issues and how we do good for the environment and community and public health. we heard a question about outreach. we have our environment team who is the best community base outreach team in the country and they don't get enough applause for what they do sometimes. [applause] speaker: they're amazing so if people need to know, it's going to happen because we've got an environment now. a lot of folks have been

working on this, from community folks, you've heard from seniors and folks from kelly who had left, but worked on this for many years and probably in this room in spirit as we cast this vote because she's worked in the state level as well as those in the room. good for the community. we're going to work through anything that has been raised. we're good to go. this thing is ready to move forward, so lead the way, to set a new standard for the way these materials are handled. we have a great partner with recology. you heard they support this. that's huge to have support from our partner from the business sector and that's how we're going to make it successful. i want thing i want to reiterate, we heard the phrase, a lot today and it's two words, shared responsibility. this is how we do it. it's responsible and i think for those in the industry who has raised concerns it's a way for them to

step up in shared responsibility as well. thank you. speaker: thank you. speaker: if there's members of the public who would like to speak who haven't had an opportunity, please line up to my left. speaker: my name is renee and i'm a town council member in fairfax. i would be remised in not thanking you for your leadership. we're new kids on the block in marin. we had 65 members of the sectors. in marin county there was overwhelming support for pursuing this. i'm here to thank you for the leadership and we'll call upon you for your expertise as we move forward. speaker: thank you. any other members of the public who would like to provide public comment at this time? seeing none, public comment is closed. and with that, just to wrap up, thank you everyone for coming out and expressing your opinions and