SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday urging him to stop the U.S. Postal Service opioid mail-back program, calling it "reckless" and offering an in-home alternative.

In April, the FDA announced it would require opioid analgesics manufacturers to include prepaid mail-back envelopes. This was done as part of an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, with the understanding that many Americans access opioids through friends or family members who hold onto unused opioids following medical procedures.

But Reyes, as well as 12 other attorneys general, signed a letter saying that while they appreciated the FDA's efforts, a one-size-fits-all approach isn't the most effective option. This letter came in response to the FDA's request for comments as it considers alternative opioid disposal plans.

The attorneys general proposed that the government instead distribute in-home single-use drug disposal kits. They said these would be just as effective as mail-back options but without the same risks.

"Various in-home disposal products are commercially viable and provide safer, convenient, more effective and more environmentally friendly disposal options than those previously recommended by the FDA," the letter said.

Around 92% of patients don't use their whole opioid prescriptions, and only about 10% of patients properly dispose of those prescriptions, the letter said.

"These opioids represent a ticking time bomb for millions of Americans," the letter said.

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The letter cited a 2021 study showing that in-home disposal kits, combined with education, can increase proper drug disposal to at least 92%.

One major concern proposed by the attorneys general is that drug traffickers frequently use the U.S. Postal Service to transport drugs, and using a mail-back system could impede efforts to keep drugs out of the mail.

They cited reports saying that drug traffickers from outside the country, cartels and fentanyl merchants prefer using the postal service to ship drugs.

The letter also brings up the concern that rural Americans without easy access to the postal service could have more potential for misuse, versus the immediacy of an in-home disposal method.

"While we applaud the FDA for its work toward helping the numerous Americans with leftover prescription drugs at home dispose of those drugs properly, we believe an approach providing flexibility to choose in-home single use products would achieve better public health and public policy results," the letter said.

Reyes was joined in signing the letter by 12 other attorneys general, representing Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and South Carolina.

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