I was walking home from work today and while passing the local primary school, right outside I found a used syringe and needle - lying in a crushed plastic tray in the gutter.
Because it was in the plastic tray and easy to handle carefully without great risk, I decided it would be best not to leave it there, so I picked it up and carried it away. I informed the headteacher of the school by email (I happen to be a governor there, so I am in regular contact) and later, I took the found items to the local police station for safe disposal.
The police were of the opinion that this was a syringe of the type most likely to have been used for administering prescribed medicines, rather than ‘recreational’ drugs - which was exactly what I expected too.
Also in the tray were the remains of a glass ampoule, the label of which said ‘Clopixol’ - naturally, I Googled this and discovered that it is used as a tranquiliser and antipsychotic, but that’s not quite enough information…
What I’d like is some idea of how it might have got there - for example, are we looking at it having fallen from a parent’s car when they picked up their hyperactive child, or could it be something potentially more worrying - like a paranoid schizophrenic adult?
Just to be completely clear - I’m not asking for personal medical advice - I’m not asking for advice about disposal of an unsafe item - I just want to try to get a feel for how this item got to be in the gutter there.