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Sen. King Proposes Prescription Drug Disposal Program

WASHINGTON - Maine Sen. Angus King says he is proposing legislation that would allow consumers to send unused and unneeded prescription drugs through the mail to a national disposal program.

He says it's part of an effort to address the huge drug abuse problem facing the nation, fueled by prescription drugs, "which is where a lot of this problem starts," he says. "Four out of five new heroin addicts started out on prescription drugs."

King says there have been other efforts, including one in Maine, to set up mail-in drug disposal programs. He believes it will take a national program to handle the need to collect and properly dispose of prescription drugs, including those that would most likely end up on the street, fueling even more addicts.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.