This weekend would be a good time to clean out your medicine cabinet. The Grey Bruce Health unit is coordinating a campaign to help prevent medication misuse.
This Medication Misuse campaign aims to reduce the amount of circulating unused or expired medication--especially opioid pain relievers. Unused medication should always be returned to a pharmacy for proper disposal.
Residents can drop off old or unused prescription and over-the-counter medication at the Rexall Pharma Plus in downtown Owen Sound from September 24-30. As an added bonus, everyone who drops off medication will receive a voucher for a free ticket, while supplies last, for any Wednesday evening Owen Sound Attack regular season game.
Last year's Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found one in 10 students in grades seven to 12 have used a prescription opioid pain reliever without a prescription in the past year, including Percocet, Percodan, Tylenol 3, Demerol and codeine.
And 55% of teens who indicated they had misused prescription opioids report obtaining the drugs from a parent or sibling.
Non-medicinal use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicine by students in grades seven to 12 has increased from 6.4% in 2015 to 9.2% currently.
Rexall Pharma Plus is located at 963 2nd Ave. E in Owen Sound.
Medications cannot be returned in vials or blister packs. Meds must be emptied into the paper bags provided when returned.