A drugstore chain is using an ad to raise awareness about how to properly dispose of prescription pills.
The ad is part of a national campaign started by the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada to educate people about drug abuse using social media, radio, television and print ads with various companies across the country.
The campaign comes at a time when the rising abuse of painkillers among youth is being considered an epidemic across Canada.
“We want to change people’s behaviours, so it needs at least a three-month trial campaign,” says Marc Paris of the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada. “We will evaluate how well it’s doing and probably make it an annual event.”
Shoppers Drugs Mart says it has always offered a medication take-back program, and they say the campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness about the misuse of prescription drugs.
While many people agree the campaign is a great start, some say more still needs to be done.
“It’s better than nothing, but the question of attribution is still the issue, so how do you know that this one intervention in one location is actually having an impact?” asks Dr. Jacqueline Gahagan of the Dalhousie Health Promotion program. “How do you weed out the noise from what that PSA is meant to do?”
Amy Graves lost her brother Joshua to recreational drug abuse two years ago. She says she was pleased to see the ad on display in Shoppers.
“I was shopping in Shoppers last weekend and me and my friend were buying razorblades and I was like, wait a minute, they’re talking about prescription drugs,” says Graves. “It is a good message.”
But Graves admits the ad is just one victory in the war against prescription drug abuse.
“If we could take big pharma influence out of prescribing, I think we’d see a big impact made. Now, that will take a long time because we’re also in a culture of, if you have a pain or ache, here’s a pill to fix it.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Gena Holley
