August is drug drop-off month

Do you have expired or unused medications sitting in your medicine cabinet? If so, it’s time to return them to your local pharmacy.

August is National Drug Drop-Off Month in Canada, an initiative led by Drug Free Kids Canada to highlight the dangers of youth getting ahold of prescription medications. It also emphasizes the need for Canadians to clear their households of unused and expired prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines by dropping them off at their local pharmacy for environmentally safe disposal.

A staggering 375,000 Canadian teens have abused prescription drugs with 55% of them getting them from a home.  But anyone taking medication is at risk if the medication has expired or they accidentally take the wrong medication because there are too many to choose from on the shelf.

By returning unused or expired medications to the pharmacy, your medicine cabinet will be safer for everyone. 

Last year, 725 tons of unused and expired medicine was collected by Canadian pharmacies – a record amount. Pharmacies are able to dispose of medicines in an environmentally safe way – far safer than if we flush them down the toilet, down the drain, or throw them in the garbage where they will end up in our oceans and landfills.

Items accepted at pharmacies in BC:

• all prescription drugs
• over-the-counter medication
• natural health products
• inhalers
• creams and liquids

Please remove pills from blister packs or pill bottle containers and place in a clear, plastic bag BEFORE bringing it to your pharmacy. Pill bottles can be recycled provided you have removed all personal information. Creams and liquids can be kept in their original packaging.

Not sure where to return your unused or expired medications? Find a participating pharmacy near you by entering your postal code on the Health Product Stewardship Association site finder at www.healthsteward.ca.