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DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL TAKE BACK INITIATIVE
BORDER
71 pounds tossed
Carrizo bill passed, but lacks funds
Effort nets unwanted, expired prescription drugs By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ
By JULIÁN AGUILAR
THE ZAPATA TIMES
TEXAS TRIBUNE
The Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office said this week it had a great turnout in collecting unwanted medication during the Drug Enforcement Administration National Take Back Initiative. The collection took place Saturday at the Zapata County Pavilion. “We had citizens bring in their unwanted and, or expired medication. Today we collected 71.3 pounds of it in three bags. The medications are now being transported by the DEA’s office to be properly disposed of,” according to a Sheriff ’s Office post on its Facebook page. In total, DEA collected 2,004 pounds of unwanted medication from 12 collection points throughout Laredo, La Salle County and Zapata, said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge James Reed. Local law enforcement from each city, school districts and Serving Children and Adults in Need assisted in the collection. “We thank our partners for assisting us in this effort … We also thank the community. If the community didn’t support this type of program, we would’ve not gotten the results we did,” Reed said, adding he’s looking forward for next year. Reed said authorities did not want expired or unwanted medication out there. Not only is there a serious
Courtesy photo
The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office said deputies collected 71.3 pounds of expired or unwanted medication during the Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.
In total, DEA collected 2,004 pounds of unwanted medication from 12 collection points throughout Laredo, La Salle County and Zapata. problem with abuse of prescribed medication, it also leads to heroin use since some prescription drugs are opiates in nature, he said. “It’s a vicious cycle when you go from the prescription drugs to the heroin,” Reed
said. The DEA wanted the unwanted and expired medication out of the medicine cabinets at home. “We don’t want kids in there and getting their hands on them. It’s for the
overall safety of the community, plus it’s an environmental issue,” Reed said, adding the DEA properly disposes of the medication. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
2013 ABORTION LAW
Ruling permits operations El Paso abortion clinic reopens amid Texas court battles By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — An El Paso clinic shuttered by Texas’ tough 2013 abortion law reopened Tuesday, the first in the state to do so since the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked enforcement of some key restrictions three months ago. The Reproductive Services clinic, so close to the TexasMexico border that its windows offer views of Ciudad Juarez across the Rio Grande, is taking appointments and expects to begin performing abortions next week. The reopening brings to 20
the number of abortion clinics licensed in America’s second most-populous state, according to a list provided by health officials — though one
ry block that will hold until the high court decides whether to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling refusing to suspend the Texas restric-
The clinic hopes to see up to 2,000 patients annually, and provide other services such as contraception. of those facilities says it has stopped performing the procedure. That’s down from 41 such clinics in 2012 — and the Reproductive Services facility could close again soon. A June 29 Supreme Court order created only a tempora-
tions. It’s not clear when that decision will come, but if the Supreme Court hears the full appeal it could be the biggest abortion case in decades. “We’re so excited about the reopening, but the discouraging part is we could be closed
down at any time,” said Marilyn Eldridge, president of Nova Health Systems, which operates Reproductive Services. She and her late husband, a Christian minister, first opened the clinic in 1977. “This is more difficult than it has ever been,” Eldridge added in a phone interview. “I think it’s because there is so much discussion about something that should be a very personal matter.” Texas in 2013 approved some of the nation’s tightest abortion rules, prompting thousands of demonstrators on both sides of the issue to pack the state Capitol in Aus-
See CLINIC
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An invasive plant growing along the banks of the Rio Grande, Carrizo cane is the bane of border law enforcement, providing natural cover for smugglers and drug mules. There have been efforts to wipe it out since at least 2008, when the U.S. Border Patrol tried a pilot program in southern Webb County that was suspended after environmental groups objected to the herbicides being used. And despite a bill passed last session requiring its eradication, it doesn’t appear Texas will raze cane anytime soon. Senate Bill 1734 by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, DSan Antonio, mandated that the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board establish a plan to eradicate Carrizo cane. The project was included on Gov. Greg Abbott’s list of border security priorities, and his proposed budget included $9.8 million for it. But even though Uresti’s bill went into effect when Abbott signed it in June, the state conservation agency hasn’t moved beyond preliminary planning stages. When lawmakers allocated a record $800 million for border security, it seems, they left out the money needed to fund the eradication program. “We’re doing whatever we can do without any funding,” said John Foster, the conservation agency’s statewide programs officer. “The thing that changed with the bill is it added ‘border security’ to our sweep of responsibilities.” Asked about the lack of funding, Abbott’s office said only that it would continue to monitor the eradication effort. "Securing the border is inherently a federal responsibility and we will continue to work with our federal and local partners to address this issue," spokesperson John Wittman said. According to a review of emails obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s office concluded that state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, decided against funding the program. (Nelson and state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, were the two votes against SB 1734, according to the Senate journal.) Asked about the bill, Nelson said “this issue simply didn’t have the support to be funded." Foster said he isn’t surprised the program wasn’t funded given the somewhat haphazard process required to get the legislation passed. He was approached late in the session, he said, and the costs associated with the project were never fully explored. “We were going basically just on some rough numbers that had been around for a few years since this first started being talked about since ’07 or ’08,” he said. “That ($9.8 million) number was based on something like $200 an acre for one particular method and then the length of the river, essentially. Obviously there’s not Carrizo cane everywhere on the river. There was never a formal request by the agency. We obviously would take anything we could to get the program started.” In a statement, Uresti said he expected the agency to move forward if funds for the program are identified. Until then, he said, it’s up to locals to get the job done. “Next session, I will once again work with my colleagues on Senate Finance to see that this program is funded,” he said. “For now, the eradication responsibilities are being borne by landowners and local authorities, but the scope of the problem makes state assistance important." Foster said there has been some progress made despite the lack of funding. He met earlier this month with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which identified “priority” areas where cane is the most problematic. He said he would meet again soon with Abbott’s office to discuss possible sources.