As of 29 September 2023, the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 will allow a pharmacist who practises at a community pharmacy to destroy a drug of addiction (Schedule 8 medicine) at the pharmacy in the presence of an *independent witness.
A pharmacist who destroys a Schedule 8 medicine must record the following in the drug register kept at the pharmacy:
(a) the date of destruction,
(b) the name and quantity of the medicine destroyed,
(c) the pharmacist’s name, registration number and signature,
(d) the independent witness’s name, registration number and signature.
* independent witness means a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or pharmacist who:
(a) is not employed or otherwise engaged to provide professional services at the pharmacy, and
(b) is not a family member# of the pharmacist, and
(c) if the independent witness is a pharmacist—does not have a financial interest, within the meaning of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW), Schedule 5F, in the pharmacy.
#family member means the person’s:
(a) spouse or de facto partner
(b) parent or step parent, or a sibling of the person’s parent or step parent
(c) grandparent or step grandparent
(d) sibling or step sibling, or a child of the person’s sibling or step sibling
(e) child or step child
(f) grandchild or step grandchild.
How to destroy Schedule 8 medicines
Things to remember:
- Any identified Schedule 8 medicine returned by a patient must be entered into the drug register immediately on receipt listing the patient’s name, address, medicine and quantity.
- Any expired Schedule 8 medicine from pharmacy stock must be quarantined from usable stock and transferred to separate page of the register labelled for Schedule 8 medicines for destruction.
- No medicines should be discarded down the sink or into the toilet.
- Schedule 8 medicines from a private health facility or residential care facility need to be destroyed on those premises (and not returned to the pharmacy).
Methods for destroying Schedule 8 medicines
Things to have on hand:
- absorbent material such as clay kitty litter or paper towels
- liquid soap detergent and/or other detergents to render medicines “unusable”
- sharps bin and/or RUM bin
- mortar and pestle.
All Schedule 8 medicines for destruction should be removed from packaging (except ampoules) and rendered unusable.
Ampoules: Wrap cardboard box containing the ampoules in paper towel to absorb the liquid, stomp on the box to crush the ampoules, place in a sharps container.
Liquids: Pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter, add detergent.
Tablets/Capsules/Films/Lozenges: Place in a heat resistant container such as a mortar and add boiling water and detergent, allow to dissolve over time, crush any remaining solids using the pestle, pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter (start with extended-release products as they take longer to dissolve).
Transdermal patches: Remove the patch from packaging, cut patch with scissors in small pieces, add to kitty litter with detergent.
Cannabis plant material:Grind using a mortar and pestle, add detergent, pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter.
Place all destroyed materials other than sharps into a RUM bin and seal closed.