A bill that supporters say would help prevent discarded prescription drugs from polluting the state's groundwater sources has won initial approval in the Maine House. The so-called drug "take-back" bill, say those behind it, would also serve to remove unused painkillers and other drugs from households that might be targeted by thieves. But opponents argue that the associated costs of the $1.5 million program will only be passed on to consumers.

The bill would create a statewide program for the collection, handling and disposal of unwanted drugs. Nearly all House members agreed that someone has to take responsibility for discarded pharmaceuticals. But that's where the agreement ends.

"this is not unreasonable to demand of the industry to take into consideration what happens when the drugs get into the environment and to take responsibility for it," sayd state Rep.David Van Wie, a New Gloucester Democrat. Van Wie says it should be up to drug manufactures to help resolve a problem that is created by their products.

State Rep. James Campbell of Newfield, an Independent, also believes that the $1.5 million cost of the program should be shouldered by the pharmeceutical industry. And he urged House colleageus to resist pressure from the industry, which has lobbied aggressively against it.

"The day after we passed this in committee, they had full-page and half-page ads in process color in the newspapers across the state of Maine, putting scare tactics in, that if you have prescription medicines, they're going to rise," Campbell said. "The bottom line is if you got to come up up here to represent the big drug companies that are not even based in this state, or you came up to represent the people in the state of Maine about polluting their water and the landfills and everything else."

State Rep. Patricia Jones, a Mount Vernon Democrat agrees, and says that drug companies are in part responsible for making customers who purchase painkillers potential targets of thieves. "We are asking the pharmaceutical industry to assist us with protecting our people and our environment, and I feel that with the huge profits that they're making, it is only reasonable to ask for that."

But some House members don't see the bill as the answer to the problem. "I just don't think we're going about this the right way," says Republican Rep. Sarah Lewin of Eliot.

Lewin says consumers themselves must be cognizant of their responsibilities and work with their local communtities to identify a way to dispose of the drugs properly.

"Maybe we need to do an education program for people who take drugs that are prescribed by their doctor," she said. "Generally speaking, when a medication is prescribed to you, you're to take it until it's done, so maybe we need a little education program of how you take prescription drugs, whether it comes as a directive from the CDC office, or whether it comes from the docs."

But House Majority Whip Seth Berry, a Bowdoinham Democrat, says something has to be done about the problem, and that the responsibility for policy-making on drug issues in Maine should be in the hands of the Legislature.

"When I listen to our current drug czar, and to previous drug czars at the federal level, and I hear them say that the real threat here in this country is what is in our kitchen cabinets, from legal drugs, then I think we must do what is in our control here in that regard to save lives," he said.

The House gave the drug take-back bill a strong 91-51 vote of support. The measure now moves to the Senate where it faces additional votes.