The OPP is teaming up with members of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy in a bid to get prescription drugs off the streets.
The two organizations are hosting a drug drop-off day on May 10 at the Centre Wellington OPP detachment in Aboyne, between Fergus and Elora, from 10am to 3pm.
OPP detachment commander Inspector Scott Lawson said the day is aimed at getting rid of out-of-date prescription drugs and keeping them out of the hands of young people.
“It’s all based on the fact prescription medication is evident in our county and the country,” Lawson said.
Once dropped off, the drugs will be “properly disposed of … with no questions asked,” Lawson added.
It’s estimated some 21 per cent of high school students, “are using prescription drugs as recreational drugs,” Lawson said.
Figures released by drug strategy manager Rafael Silver show 80% of prescription opioids are consumed in North America and more than 50,000 Ontario residents are addicted to opioid painkillers.
The number of deaths related to opioid overdoses is twice the rate of drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents and prescription opioid-related deaths have doubled in the province in the past 10 years from 13.7 to 27.2 per million.
Eleven per cent of Grade 7 and 16% of Grade 8 students have experimented with prescription medication and 72% of them get their medications from home.
Outdated prescription drugs can also be disposed at local pharmacies. Lawson urged parents to dispose of unwanted medications in the home.
“All that breeds is a criminal element in our community to serve a drug habit,” Lawson said of how easily-accessible prescription drugs can be the target of thieves.
The county also hosts hazardous waste days at its landfill and transfer stations where medications can be disposed of safely.
A similar drive by OPP last year collected 8.95 kilograms of prescription drugs, Lawson said.
“It’s unused medication that might fall into the wrong hands,” he said. “It’s better to be disposed of.”
The drop-off will take place at the Centre Wellington OPP detachment in Aboyne on May 10 from 10am to 3pm.
