Police in Nova Scotia are supporting the fourth annual National Prescription Drug Drop-off Day on Saturday, May 21, 2016.
National Prescription Drug Drop-off Day is led by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) in conjunction with Public Safety Canada, and is a day where police agencies across the country host events with their community partners to provide an easy way for people to dispose of unused and expired prescription drugs.
With assistance from municipal police agencies, district health authorities and community pharmacies, over 30 drop-off sites are available in Nova Scotia this year. These sites help ensure that unused and expired medications do not fall into the wrong hands, whether they be criminals or victims.
“Unused or expired prescription drugs are a major public safety concern. Prescription drug abuse is an on-going problem throughout Nova Scotia and across Canada. This is a chance for citizens to safely dispose of any prescription drugs they no longer need or use, while helping keep these drugs out of the hands of the wrong person,” says Chief Peter McIsaac, the Nova Scotia representative to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP).
According to the CACP, Canada is the world’s second largest per capita consumer of prescription opioids, after the United States. Abuse of prescription drugs can have a devastating impact on people’s lives as well as their families, and can be associated with serious harms such as addiction, overdose and death.
Unused and expired prescription drugs can be returned to pharmacies at any time throughout the year. Before returning the drugs, citizens should always remove any labels or use a marker to black out any personal information. Prescription drugs should never be flushed down the toilet, as they may have adverse effects on the environment.
Below are the drop-off locations (note that the drop-off times may vary depending on the location):
Antigonish
Lawtons Drugs
133 Church St.
Arichat
Dooley’s Pharmacy
2374 Highway 206
Bear River
Bear River & Area Community Health Clinic
1112 River Rd.
Berwick
Berwick Fire Hall
300 Commercial St.
Bible Hill
Village Family PharmaChoice
275 Pictou Rd.
Bridgetown
Pharmasave
264 Granville St.
Chester
Chester Pharmsave
3785 Highway 3
Cheticamp
Cheticamp PharmaChoice
15388 Cabot Trail Rd.
Dartmouth
Sobeys – Panavista
612 Highway 7
Digby
Balser’s Pharmachoice
83 Warwick St.
Sobey’s Pharmacy
110 Warwick St.
Elmsdale
Guardian Elmsdale Pharmacy
269 Highway 14, Unit 2
Enfield
Enfield PharamaChoice
284 Highway 2
Eskasoni
Eskasoni Pharmacy
44 Spencers Ln.
Guysborough
Guysborough Pharmacy
133 Main St.
Hammonds Plains
Hammonds Plains Medical Center
2120 Hammonds Plains Rd.
Inverness
Freeman’s PharmaChoice
15786 Central Ave.
Liverpool
Reynolds Pharmasave
255 Main St.
Lower Sackville
Shoppers Drug Mart
766 Sackville Dr.
Meteghan Center
Clare Pharmasave
8693 Main St.
Middleton
Middleton Pharmasave
26 Commercial St.
Millbrook
Lawtons Drugs
316 Willow St.
Mount Uniacke
Guardian Mount Uniacke Pharmacy
653 Highway 1
New Minas
Lawtons Drugs
20 Silver Fox Ave.
Saulnierville
Saulnierville Pharmacy
9999 Highway 1
Shelburne
Lawtons Drugs
115 King St.
Sherbrooke
Shoppers Drug Mart
14 Main St.
Shubenacadie
Shubenacadie Guardian Pharmacy
2815 Main St.
Springhill
Pharmasave
74 Main St.
St. Peter’s
MacDonnell Pharmacy
10024 Grenville St.
Trenton
Pictou Landing First Nation Health Centre
19 Maple St.
Wagmatcook
Wagmatcook Health Centre
47 Humes Rear Rd.
Weymouth
Weymouth Drug Store
4553 Main St.
Whycocomagh
MacKeigan’s Guardian Pharmacy
25 MacKeigan’s Ln.
Windsor
Atlantic Superstore
11 Cole Dr.
Sobeys
50 Empire Ln.
Yarmouth
Shoppers Drug Mart
56 Starrs Rd.
Source: Media Release
