National Drug Drop Off Month – Keep your kids safe from prescription medications

While medications play an important role in treating various illnesses and diseases, it’s important that expired or unneeded medications are safely disposed of to ensure they aren’t accidentally used or intentionally misused.  

August is National Drug Drop Off Month in Canada, an initiative led by Drug Free Kids Canada to highlight the dangers of children and youth getting ahold of prescription medications. It also emphasizes the importance of safely storing medications in the home and of returning expired prescriptions to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.

In times of anxiety, stress, isolation, and even boredom – such as during the COVID-19 pandemic – many young people may turn to substance use to cope. According to the Government of Canada’s Opioid Crisis Fact Sheet, “young Canadians aged 15 to 24 are the fastest-growing population requiring hospital care from opioid overdoses.” And a 2017 DFK tracking survey showed that 48% of Canadian households contain potentially harmful prescriptions, but only 11% of these homes keep their medication secure or locked away. To reduce the potential recreational or accidental use of medications, it is more important than ever that parents ensure medications and expired prescriptions are safely stored and/or disposed of.

What can you do to keep medications safe and out of reach? 

• Install a medicine cabinet with a lock and key.
• Store prescription drugs in a safe, locked drawers, a locked filing cabinet or a lockbox.
• Return unused or expired prescription and over the counter medications to their local pharmacy for safe disposal.

Parents may also wish to talk to their kids about how to use medications safely.

What type of items can be returned?

Participating BC pharmacies accept:

• Prescription drugs – pills, liquid, and creams.
• Over-the-counter medications.
• Natural health products.

How do I return them?

The Health Products Stewardship Association’s webpage has a helpful tool that lets you simply enter your postal code to find participating pharmacies in your area. Remember to remove or black out any personal identification from all medications, empty dry medications such as pills and tablets from their containers and place them in a bag, and keep liquids, creams and inhalers in their original packaging.

Protecting the environment

Along with ensuring prescription and expired medications don’t fall into the wrong hands, safe storage and proper disposal also helps protects delicate ecosystems. By disposing of drugs in unsafe ways, such as the sink, the garbage, or toilet, you risk exposing lakes, rivers, wildlife, and even your pets to the negative effects of these chemicals. Returning your unused or expired prescriptions helps protect the environment while also keeping everyone in your home safe. 

More information on returning medications can be found on the Health Products Stewardship Association’s webpage. For information on how to talk to your kids about prescription medications visit Drug Free Kids Canada’s website.