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Community health agencies in Thunder Bay, Ont., are urging people to clean out their medicine cabinets to properly dispose of expired medications, vitamins and drug equipment.
NorWest Community Health Centres (NWCHC) hosted the city’s annual Drug Amnesty Day event on Wednesday, where people were given the chance to drop off old medications and drug-related items outside the organization’s office at 525 Simpson St.
Thunder Bay continues to have the highest opioid-related death rate in the province at more than five times the Ontario rate, according to the Office of the Chief Coroner.
A large part of the problem is increasingly toxic drugs in the street supply, which are often mixed with animal tranquillizers and prescription medications, explained NorWest manager Nicole Fieduna.
“We’re seeing pain medication — so those really common meds that some people have brought today, your Dilaudid, your Percocets — those are being sold on the street with other substances mixed into it,” Fieduna said.
“That kind of tells you why we don’t want to have those medications at home because they might find their way into the streets.”
Nicole Fieduna is a manager at NorWest Community Health Centres in Thunder Bay, Ont. She says it’s important for people to have conversations about drug safety, whether it’s prescription medication or illicit substances. (Marc Doucette/CBC)
Keeping old medications at home may also put children and pets at risk, she added.
“Why keep it at home? It’s keeping clutter, you might be misusing it, the medication doesn’t have the same efficacy anymore,” Fieduna said.
“If we don’t dispose of them correctly or are putting them down toilets or putting it into the garbage, it puts a risk towards our waterways and also our wildlife.”
Wednesday’s event was run in partnership with Syndicate Pharmacy, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit’s Superior Points Program, the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy and the Thunder Bay Police Service.
However, people can drop off old prescriptions any time at their nearest pharmacy.
“Every medication or drug-related item that is safely disposed of is one less potential source of accidental poisoning, misuse, and environmental contamination,” said NorWest’s chief executive officer, Juanita Lawson, in a news release.
Safe disposal, connections to services
Another safety concern is used drug equipment, such as pipes and needles, in public spaces.
People can find sharps container locations in the city through the Ontario Harm Reduction Program Locations map or by searching on the free LifeguardConnect app.
People in Thunder Bay, Ont., can contact Superior Points if they see a needle or other drug-related equipment that they want disposed of. (Sarah Law/CBC)
Those who don’t feel comfortable picking up a needle themselves can contact Superior Points. Otherwise, Fieduna cautions them to “safely pop the top, grab the top of the plunger and put it within a hard case, like a Gatorade bottle,” before putting it in a sharps container.
People who use drugs can get them checked for free at NorWest’s mobile outreach van to see what’s in their substances before they consume them.
Fieduna also urges people to get the LifeguardConnect app so they can see the latest drug alerts.
The app features a ‘use alone’ timer. If the timer isn’t stopped, this may signal the user has overdosed and emergency services are notified of their location.
Fieduna said she hopes Wednesday’s event helps spread awareness about resources available in town and the importance of having conversations about substances with loved ones.
“It’s a really great way to be a contributing community member in ways that you might have not thought about it. Is it picking up sharps, looking through your house for those expired medications, or coming by just to learn more around things and conversations that might make you uncomfortable?” she said.
“These are the things that we want to do at events like today.”