It's time to clean out your medicine cabinet. The Grey Bruce Health Unit wants you to help ensure unused or expired medication including opioids doesn't end up in the wrong hands. The Owen Sound Police Service and Grey Bruce Health Unit invite community members to clean out their medicine cabinets and drop off old or unused prescription and over-the-counter medication. The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found 1 in 10 students in Grades 7-12 have used a prescription opioid pain reliever for non-medical purposes in the past year. 55% of teens who indicated they had misused prescription opioids said they took them from a parent, sibling or someone else they live with.
The non-medicinal use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicine by students in grades 7-12 has increased from 6.4% in 2015 to 9.2% in 2017.
Unused medication should always be returned to a pharmacy for proper disposal. Everyone who drops off medication from October 5 to 11, at the Owen Sound I.D.A. Pharmacy on 10th Street West will receive a voucher for a free ticket for any Wednesday evening Owen Sound Attack regular-season game.