August is National Drug Drop Off Month, and this year is focused on reducing substance abuse by young people who may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winnipeg pharmacist Danny Lee explains that young people may feel cooped up during the pandemic due to schools closing and having no extra curriculars such as sports to participate in. As a way to cope, they may turn to medication to help them.

Lee says that properly disposing of prescription or over-the-counter medication that has either gone unused or is expired is important to reduce the chances of substance abuse occurring in the home.

He says people should not throw medication in the garbage or flush them down the toilet, and instead should drop off loose pills at the local pharmacy in a zip-lock bag.

For more information on how to safely dispose of expired or unused medication, tune in to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.