The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office collected 102 pounds of unused and expired medications Sept. 26 during the National Drug Take Back Initiative.

Sheriff Scott Kent said the program went well.

“It’s a nice access point for the public to release the pills instead of releasing them by flushing them into the water supply or into the trash,” Kent said. “It keeps the drugs out of unwanted hands. Our office has a box in the lobby that is available all year for residents wishing to dispose of unwanted prescription pills.”

He said unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, adding pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.

“The majority of teenagers abusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends, usually from a home medicine cabinet,” Kent said. “Unused prescription drugs thrown into the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold and those that are flushed contaminate the water supply. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.”

The Metrich Drug Task Force coordinated the event. Collected items were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency for disposal.