Photo by Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash

Hub Staff

A recent campaign aimed at encouraging people to clear unused medications out of their medicine cabinets was deemed a success.

The campaign got underway November 18 and saw the Owen Sound Attack and Rexall Pharma Plus in Owen Sound team up to provide a limited number of participants two free tickets to any regular season Owen Sound Attack Wednesday home game.

While the tickets were all claimed within three days, Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) is reminding everyone that all pharmacies will accept old or unused medications year round.

All told, more than 120 bottles of unused medications were collected including opioids, benzodiazepines and other substances that can be potentially misused.

Program Manager of Harm Reduction at GBPH, Monica Blair, said the goal was two-fold. First, to ensure prescription drugs and other pharmaceuticals that are no longer needed or are past their expiry dates do not end up in the wrong hands or in the landfill or waterways. Second, to educate the public that the safest way to dispose of these medications is to return them to a pharmacy.

"We are thrilled to say we accomplished both of these objectives," said Blair.

Trends suggest a rise of recreational use of prescription drugs by youth, often acquired from friends or the family medicine cabinet. In addition adults and seniors may inadvertently take expired medications which can cause dangerous interactions with other medications.