It's no secret that Americans are a heavily medicated bunch. some Serious concerns about pharmaceutical crop production have been raised, and recently a conference in North Carolina looked at recent studies of pharmaceuticals in the water. However, the environmental impact of the millions of prescriptions issued each year doesn't get near enough attention. But if all these drugs are ending up going down the sink or into the landfill, maybe we need a different plan?

Fortunately, drug takeback programs seem to be on the rise, with Pharmaca, a pharmacy in the Pacific Northwest being the latest drug distributor to adopt a program. Additionally, several grassroots programs and government-sponsored initiatives are helping to keep meds out of the environment.

Personally, I think it would be far more beneficial for pharmaceutical companies to simply produce drugs that expire less quickly. I realize the second law of thermodynamics and an oxygen-rich atmosphere have serious consequences for many complex chemicals, but better packaging and production methods could increase shelf lives and reduce energy used in production by limiting the number of pills that need to be made—all in addition to protecting the water supply.