(HURON COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is calling Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day across the province a huge success.
Over 70 OPP detachments participated this year across Ontario. A total of 138 kilograms of prescription medications were received by the OPP from the public who participated in this public health and safety awareness initiative on Saturday, May 10.
The Huron County OPP site allowed several people to take advantage of this free and simple way to safely dispose of their unused and expired medication. A total of 4.4 kilograms was turned over at the Goderich location. A wide variety of prescription medication including hydromorphone, codeine and OxyContin was dropped off.
The success of this initiative is measured by the public awareness generated in our communities in regards to the dangers associated with unused prescription medications.
Better awareness of the dangers of unused or expired medications means that people are increasingly making a greater effort to take prescription drugs back to the pharmacy where they can easily be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
Continued vigilance by those who are in possession of drugs that can be dangerous when they fall into the hands of those for whom they were not intended, will help to curb this public safety issue.