BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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OWEN SOUND – Grey Bruce Public Health is teaming up with the Owen Sound Attack for a fourth straight year on a campaign to remind residents that the safest way to dispose of expired or unused medications is to return them to a pharmacy.
This year’s Attacking Medication Misuse campaign began Sunday, Oct. 4.
While the campaign is underway, people who drop off old or no-longer-needed prescription or over-the-counter medication at Shoppers Drug Mart at 1183 16th Ave. E. in Owen Sound can receive a voucher for a free ticket for any regular season Owen Sound Attack home game.
The campaign, set to run until Oct. 10, 2026, or until all free-ticket vouchers are claimed, whichever comes first, encourages people to gather expired pills, tablets, creams, and natural health products from their medicine cabinets, cupboards, and drawers and return them to a pharmacy for proper disposal.
All pharmacies accept old or unused medications year-round.
“Bringing expired or unused medications to a pharmacy for proper disposal ensures they do not end up in the wrong hands or in our waterways, landfills, or soil,” said Jason Weppler, manager of GBPH’s Comprehensive Health Promotion program.
Leaving expired medications in medicine cabinets or cupboards can have unintended and potentially serious consequences. People may inadvertently take expired medications, which can cause potentially dangerous interactions with other medicines.
Drugs that are not stored or disposed of properly could also be taken by someone for whom the medications have not been prescribed.
Pharmaceuticals can also harm the environment if not disposed of properly. Public Health urges people not to flush medicines down the toilet, pour them down the drain, or toss them in the trash.
People who participate in the Attacking Medication Misuse campaign will be asked to fill out a form at Shoppers Drug Mart to indicate what medication they are returning. This data will be collected by Public Health for reporting purposes, in accordance with applicable privacy requirements. No personal information is collected from the pharmacy or Grey Bruce Public Health.
When returning expired or unused medication to a pharmacy, residents are asked to put pills and tablets into a supplied paper bag and remove personal information from containers with prescription creams or liquids.
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