H.R. 10649 – Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2026

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Updated October 6, 2026 at 5:44 AM UTC

The Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2026 amends the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to create a grant program that helps set up safe disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications. It also adds a small fee on opioid sales to fund these efforts and provides discounts for certain patients so they aren’t charged for the fee. The program targets law‑enforcement agencies, drug manufacturers, distributors and other qualified entities that will run the disposal sites.

Key Provisions

Grants are awarded by the Attorney General, in coordination with the DEA, HHS, and the ONDCP, to "covered entities" to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications.
No > 10 % of grant money may be given to law‑enforcement agencies or to manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributors of prescription drugs.
A 1‑cent‑per‑100 mg fee is placed on the sale of any active opioid, except for opioids used solely for medication‑assisted treatment, and the fee revenue funds the grant program.
The HHS Secretary must create a mechanism that short‑ discount for eligible patients (cancer‑related pain, hospice, or their families) so they do not pay the fee at the time of purchase.
Appropriations for the program each year may not exceed the total fees collected from the opioid fee.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce Committee

October 1, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

October 1, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce Committee

October 1, 2026

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in HouseIssued October 1, 2026

I

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10649

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 1, 2026

Ms. Bonamici (for herself and Mr. Moore of West Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To amend the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 to authorize the Attorney General, in coordination with the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to award grants to covered entities to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2026.

2.

Grants for disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications

Section 203 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (21 U.S.C. 822a) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(c)

Grants for disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications

(1)

Grants

(A)

Awards

In carrying out subsection (b), the Attorney General shall award grants to covered entities to establish or maintain disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications.

(B)

Limitation

Of the total amount of awards under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, the Attorney General shall not award more than 10 percent to covered entities that are—

(i)

State, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies; or

(ii)

manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributors of prescription medications.

(2)

Discounts for eligible patients

(A)

In general

The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a mechanism by which amounts paid by an eligible patient for an active opioid are discounted at time of payment or purchase to ensure that such patient does not pay any amount attributable to a fee under paragraph (3), with as little burden on the patient as possible.

(B)

Definition

For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term eligible patient means—

(i)

a patient for whom any active opioid (as so defined) is prescribed to treat pain relating to cancer or cancer treatment;

(ii)

a patient participating in hospice care; and

(iii)

in the case of the death or incapacity of a patient described in clause (i) or (ii) or any similar situation as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the appropriate family member, medical proxy, or similar representative or the estate of such patient.

(3)

Fees

(A)

In general

There is hereby imposed on the sale of any active opioid by the manufacturer, producer, or importer a fee equal to 1 cent per 100 milligrams so sold.

(B)

Special rules

(i)

Definition

In this paragraph, the term active opioid—

(I)

means any controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act, as in effect on the date of the Safe Disposal of Opioids Act of 2026) which is opium, an opiate, or any derivative thereof; and

(II)

excludes any prescribed drug which is used exclusively for the treatment of opioid addiction as part of a medically assisted treatment effort.

(ii)

Exclusion of other ingredients

In the case of a product that includes an active opioid and another ingredient, subparagraph (A) shall apply only to the portion of such product that is an active opioid.

(4)

Authorization of appropriations

For fiscal year 2027 and each subsequent fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection an amount not to exceed the aggregate amount of the fees collected pursuant to paragraph (3).

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