Substance Canada is urging Canadians to store medications securely and dispose of unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs properly through its Together for Safer Homes campaign. Charity spokespeople set up at Rexall stores in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto on Tuesday to educate the public. Rexall accepts medication for disposal year-round.

Outreach officer Sarah Kheman said unused drugs can remain in homes after surgery or when prescriptions expire or are only partly used. “So many of us have prescription medications in our home … left over from surgery, expired prescriptions, or something half finished. Clearing them out is a habit worth building,” she told CTV News Edmonton.

Kheman said Substance Canada hopes to help families make healthier choices about drugs and have easier conversations with young people about prevention and harm reduction. The campaign proposes that safely disposing of medications should become as routine as wearing a seatbelt or helmet.

A national survey found that the share of Grade 7 to 12 students using prescription medication for purposes other than recommended rose from four per cent in 2014-15 to eight per cent in 2023-24. The rate was higher among older students and in rural areas. Roughly one-third of students said it would be easy to obtain pain relief medication, ADHD medication or sedatives.

Rexall is not the only pharmacy that accepts unused drugs for disposal. The Alberta Pharmacists’ Association provides a full list of pharmacies that will take them. CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein contributed to the report.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.