On Monday, Governor Murphy vetoed a number of bills, including “Charlie’s Law” which was sponsored by Senator Bob Singer. The bill would have required pharmacies and hospice programs to furnish patients with information and products to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs and medications. The bill’s aim was to help prevent addictions to prescription medications and to keep the drugs from entering the water supply.

Governor Murphy said that while the bill’s intentions are laudable, “the legislation requires the availability of one particular type of drug disposal instead of allowing pharmacies to choose which form of disposal they will offer.”

Murphy says he believes it is inappropriate to dictate a specific way one must dispose of medications and there is insufficient data and clinical testing to determine that certain disposal methods work as well or better than others. He also noted that none of the disposal products outlined in the bill have yet received approval from federal regulatory agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, or the Environmental Protection Agency.

Murphy says that he agrees with the bill’s sponsors that disposal methods should neutralize at least 98% of the active ingredient in the drug. The governor is therefore vetoing the bill and sending it back to legislators with a recommendation to amend it so that it meets his requirements to sign it.