Posted by Cam W. on August 4, 2001, at 23:34:41
In reply to Re: Donating unused meds? Cam??, posted by Willow on August 4, 2001, at 22:35:20
Willow - I'm with kazoo on this one. In Alberta we have a system where people bring their unsed drugs to the pharmacy and put them in the "Dead Drug Jug", which is picked up twice a year and are taken to Swan Hills to be incinerated in an "environmentally friendly" way.
Flushing the drugs down the toilet is not a good idea because water treatment systems aren't equipped to treat this kind of shit < bad pun intended >.
Don't throw them in the garbage because animals can get into your cans (or at the landfill) and can get very sick (certain breeds of dogs love the smell of ibuprofen and will literally eat through a purse and the bottle to "wolf" down your Advil - for other dogs, ibuprofen doesn't seem to be toxic at all).
Feeding them, baked into pies, to unsuspecting relatives that you don't like is just downright nasty, and I believe, in Canada (and most states) is highly illegal and will net you a long jail term. < the preceding IS JUST a joke >
In Alberta (because I don't know the regulations in other provinces or states) we have signs posted in every pharmacy, "Due to the inherent danger of returning medications.....blah, blah, blah." This means that as soon as you leave the pharmacy with a prescription, we cannot take it back for reuse, by law. This all came about during the Tylenol tainting thing in the '80s. There are some not nice people in this world; and the risks of reusing drugs in new prescriptions is not worth the death of one person.
Also, many prescription drug vials do not have any expiry date on them. Even those that do, the expiry date varies with how you store your medications (ask me sometime on how to store your medication properly - I have written protocol on this for all group homes in Alberta - cool huh; I wrote a law).
I guess it is best to ask your pharmacist in your province or state how to best dispose of unused meds. You could also call or email the Pharmaceutical Association in your area to see what their policy on unsed and expired drugs is.
If really in doubt, take them to your next Toxic Waste Round-up, dunked into a can of old paint (not the horse).
Any questions? - Cam (who is getting a little loopy from being tired)
poster:Cam W.
thread:8367
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010731/msgs/8711.html