In addition to the dizzying array of federal regulations that govern the operation of nursing facilities in the United States, there are state and federal rules aimed at how, when, and where providers may dispose of unused or expired medication. In this article, the author examines these regulations and finds that they are complex and sometimes conflicting. What's more, as providers attempt to make sense of it, pills are either piling up or getting flushed down the drain in large quantities.
See the archived story and the questionnaire in which the reporter writes about how this story was written.