Guides to legislative requirements for handling drugs, including the supply of drugs of addiction and restricted substances

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D​estruction of Schedule 8 medicines at community pharmacies

As of 29 September 2023, the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 will allow a pharmacist who practises at a community pharmacy to destroy a drug of addiction (Schedule 8 medicine) at the pharmacy in the presence of an *independent witness.

A pharmacist who destroys a Schedule 8 medicine must record the following in the drug register kept at the pharmacy:

(a) the date of destruction,

(b) the name and quantity of the medicine destroyed,

(c) the pharmacist's name, registration number and signature,

(d) the independent witness's name, registration number and signature.

* independent witness means a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or pharmacist who:

(a) is not employed or otherwise engaged to provide professional services at the pharmacy, and

(b) is not a #family member of the pharmacist, and

(c) if the independent witness is a pharmacist—does not have a financial interest in the pharmacy.

#family member means the person's:

(a)  spouse or de facto partner,

(b)  parent or step-parent, or a sibling of the person's parent or step-parent,

(c)  grandparent or step-grandparent,

(d)  sibling or step-sibling, or a child of the person's sibling or step-sibling,

(e)  child or stepchild,

(f)  grandchild or step-grandchild.


How to destroy Schedule 8 medicines

Things to remember:
  • Any identified Schedule 8 medicine returned by a patient must be entered into the drug register immediately on receipt listing the patient's name, address, medicine, and quantity.
  • Any expired Schedule 8 medicine from pharmacy stock should be quarantined from usable stock and transferred to a separate page of the register labelled for Schedule 8 medicines for destruction.
  • No medicines should be discarded down the sink or into the toilet.
  • Schedule 8 medicines from a private health facility or residential care facility need to be destroyed on those premises (and not returned to the pharmacy).
Methods for destroying Schedule 8 medicines

Things to have on hand:

  • absorbent material such as clay kitty litter or paper towels,
  • liquid soap detergent and/or other detergents to render medicines "unusable",
  • sharps bin and/or RUM bin,
  • mortar and pestle.

All Schedule 8 medicines for destruction should be removed from packaging (except amps) and rendered unusable.

Ampoules:  Wrap cardboard box containing the ampoules in paper towel to absorb the liquid, stomp on the box to crush the ampoules, place in a sharps container.

Liquids:  Pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter, add detergent.

Tablets/Capsules/Films/Lozenges:  Place in a heat-resistant container such as a mortar and add boiling water and detergent, allow to dissolve over time, crush any remaining solids with the pestle, pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter (start with extended-release products as they take longer to dissolve).

Transdermal patches:  Remove the patch from packaging, apply the patch to paper, cut with scissors in small pieces, add to kitty litter with detergent.

Cannabis plant material: Grind up in mortar and pestle, add detergent, pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter.

Place all destroyed materials other than sharps into a RUM bin and seal closed.


Current as at: Tuesday 12 March 2024
Contact page owner: Pharmaceutical Services