The organization Substance launches the campaign Prevention Starts at Home!
The organization Substance launches the campaign Prevention Starts at Home!
Every year, thousands of Canadian households keep unused or expired medications in kitchen cupboards, bathroom drawers, or on bedside tables — places where curious children and teenagers can easily find them.
The organization Substance (formerly Drug Free Kids Canada) is launching Prevention Starts at Home — an initiative encouraging Quebec families to return their unused or expired medications to their local pharmacies, where they can be disposed of safely and free of charge.
Substance’s Executive Director, Chantal Vallerand, provides more details:
According to recent data, over the past 12 months, 10.2% of high school students reported using over-the-counter medications — such as sleeping aids, cough syrups, or low-dose codeine products — for recreational purposes, while 6% reported doing the same with prescription medications. Non-medical use among older teens and young adults consistently remains higher than in the general population.
Chantal Vallerand discusses these concerning statistics:
The campaign is carried out in collaboration with the Association for the Recovery of Health Products (ARPS) and Innovative Medicines Canada.
The full (French-language) interview with Chantal Vallerand, conducted by Nathalie Vasiloff, is available here.
