The Clark Township Neighborhood Watch is teaming up with Arfstrom Pharmacy in Cedarville to collect and properly dispose of expired and unused prescription drugs. The goal behind the program is twofold: to protect unprescribed users from taking those drugs, and to discourage wouldbe thieves from entering homes.

Scott Skinner of Arfstrom Pharmacy said people with expired or unused prescriptions can bring them to the pharmacy on M-134 during regular business hours for proper disposal. The pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prescription drugs brought in will be shipped to Sault Ste. Marie for proper disposal.

Prescription drugs are diluted in water and taken to a landfill where they won't be able to enter into waterways, said Don Corbiere of Sault Community Pharmacy. It is not recommended to dispose of expired or unused prescriptions oneself.

"We put them in a plastic container and then simply add water to that container so it will render everything in there unusable," he said.

Coordinator for the volunteer neighborhood watch Loren Dingman pointed out it can be hazardous for people to take drugs that are not prescribed for them. Such unprescribed drug use, he said, is a growing concern in other parts of the country. He hopes the program helps prevent such a situation from developing in Clark Township.

"This is just another phase of trying to keep a curb on the drug situation," he said. "Nationwide, it's a really big problem. We really haven't been involved in that situation here."

The Partnership for a Drug Free America reports that one in five teens has abused prescription pain medication, stimulants, or tranquilizers, and that one in 10 has abused cough medicine. The drug-abuse watchdog group claims many teens think prescribed drugs are safe because they are legal and have practical uses, but actually they can be just as dangerous and addictive as illegal drugs.

Mr. Dingman said the drug collection program also discourages people looking for prescription drugs from breaking in to homes. He said people that do this are typically looking for pain-killers.

Arfstrom Pharmacy manager Michelle Sheckler said the program will give would-be thieves one less reason to break into a home as well as provide a valuable service to the community.

"We're doing this more as a community service. Mostly what we're concerned with is that there's a lot of expired medications out there," she said. "We want people to know there's a place to bring them."