The California legislature passed Senate Bill 212 ("pharmaceutical and sharps waste stewardship") in August and the governor signed it into law September 30, 2018. The new law requires "manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs and medical needles to establish, implement and fund take-back programs for safe and secure collection and disposal of their products... the first statewide measure in the nation to include both prescription medications and medical needles."

The bill co-authors said, "This is a tremendous accomplishment that will help fight prescription drug abuse, keep pharmaceuticals out of our water supply, and place the burden of disposal on the industry, not consumers or taxpayers." "It took years of hard work to get to this point, but a statewide solution is essential to address the public health and environmental issues brought on by having a limited patchwork of take-back programs."

While Washington and New York both passed safe drug take back (pharmaceutical stewardship) legislation earlier in 2018, California is the first state to pass a producer responsibility law for both drugs and needles. The California Product Stewardship Council and National Stewardship Action Council will host a webinar on October 23 ("a case study in EPR policymaking") to go over the legislation's multi-year history, opposition, and campaign to passage.