A large stash of old pharmaceuticals seized from a “suspicious person” in Burnaby have police warning local residents to dispose of their unused drugs in a safer manner.
On Sept. 21, just before 9 a.m., Burnaby RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious person in the area of Sunset Street and Smith Avenue, just west of Burnaby Hospital, according to an emailed statement from Burnaby RCMP Cpl Mike Kalanj.
“Upon arrival, the officer located the man, arrested him for drug possession and searched him,” Kalanj said.
The search turned up more than 70 bottles of old pills and other miscellaneous prescriptions, according to Kalanj.
“The items were so old most of the labels could not be read,” he said. “He told the officer that he had located the items in a garbage bin. The items were seized to be destroyed safely.”
No charges are pending in the case, according to Kalanj, but police are urging local residents to take care when disposing of old drugs.
“Expired medication can be harmful for your health if ingested,” Kalanj said. “It is also damaging to the environment. Children are especially susceptible to locating and consuming medications not meant for them; therefore, proper storage and disposal of medication is essential to keeping everyone safe. Pharmacies are able to dispose of expired and unused medications through certified incineration.”
For more information on how to safely dispose of unused health-care product, visit the provincial government's webpage on recycling pharmaceuticals.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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