Just because the drug is in a prescription bottle doesn't make it any less harmful.

That is the message from the Speak Up Prevention Coalition and local law enforcement, who are taking a proactive step with a prescription drug disposal program located in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff police stations. The containers are situated inside the lobbies at each police station.

"Using this program to clean out the medicine chest is the best way to keep kids from finding and taking these drugs," said Lake Forest's Deputy Chief of Police, Glenn Burmeister. "Abusers tend to think prescription medication is safer because it's prescribed by a doctor. That mindset makes the use of meds much more dangerous."

The initiative is part of the Speak Up Prevention Coalition, which formed in 2006 when teen substance abuse levels raised concerns for a need to do more. Community members and city leaders came together with LEAD (Linking Efforts Against Drugs) and founded the Speak Up Prevention Coalition, a committee of concerned volunteers to work on a solution. The group included members of local schools, police and city representatives for Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood.

This year, Speak Up received a $125,000 grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which was established in 1998 as part of the Anti-Abuse Drug Act of 1988. According to its website, ONDCP's goals are to "reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences."

Betty Frank-Bailey, executive director of LEAD and director of the Coalition, said the grant was awarded based on the impact Speak Up has had on the community to date, and the confidence the ONDCP has in its plans for the future.

"We are honored to have received the grant, we have big hopes and plans for what we can accomplish with it this year," Bailey said.

The Coalition plans to use the grant to work in tandem with LEAD to decrease the amount of underage drinking and drug abuse by creating a common initiative for the whole community, organizing events and educating kids and adults on the consequences of substance use, and putting projects in motion that will reduce the underage availability of drugs and alcohol.

In the case of the prescription drug disposal bins, statistics show teens and children obtain prescription drugs from an unmonitored medicine chest at home and they are usually prescribed to another family member. Another aspect of the program is to provide the community with an environmentally conscious disposal option.

"Someone might throw their left over pills in the trash not knowing that once it gets to a landfill it will contaminate underground water systems," Frank-Bailey said. "Every year traces of it are found in our drinking water.

Police plan to incinerate the collects prescription drugs with their drug evidence supply, Bailey-Frank said.

Speak Up is also taking steps to reach out to a broader spectrum of adults. The Coalition has given its full support to the newly passed Social Hosting Ordinance, a law holding any adult providing drugs, alcohol or a place to use them, accountable and subject to harsh penalties.

Plans have also been set in motion to create a "Safe Home, Safe Parent" pledge in the coming year. This pledge would be signed by supportive parents, ensuring that their homes are a safe, substance free environment. The Speak Up Committee has believes the pledge will be an effective deterrent for parents not to neglect their responsibility to monitor their liquor and medicine cabinets as well as to provide comfort to other parents when their kids are at their home.

Student volunteer groups such as SADD (Student Against Destructive Decisions) and FOCUS (another dedicated student group associated with CROYA, Committee Representing Our Young Adults) work tirelessly alongside Speak Up to make the message from peer to peer instead of adult to child.

"The students who participate in these initiatives aren't doing it for their college applications," said Lake Forest High School Assistant Principle Jim Thiel. "It's clear they want to be a part of something and really care about the cause."

The students and Speak Up have also collaborated on a "Sticker Shock Campaign" where they visit local beer and liquor stores placing bright yellow signs and stickers on alcohol containers and store windows, reminding the customer of their legal responsibility once they make their purchase.