RIPLEY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A decorated float and elaborate costumes helped Ripley Pharmacy and Main Street Medical Center take third place in this year's Fourth of July float contest.

The win made the group feel as though their pill costumes and prescription bottles filled with candy were a hit with the crowd. Those promotional items have turned into the subject of controversy.

"We saw these little cylinders rolling on the ground as the drug store was coming up through there," said Tammy Casto. "I opened it up, and it had candy in it."

As a mother of three, Casto was concerned that Ripley Pharmacy was sending out a message to children that candy comes from prescription bottles.

"There are so many pills that look like candy and if they're young they don't know the difference," she said.

The Ripley Pharmacy thought the bottles were just a clever marketing device and had no intentions of spreading a negative message to children.

"I sincerely apologize for upsetting or offending anyone with our float or candy," owner Marki Walls said. "We just wanted to do something nice for the community. I can assure you we would never do anything to harm anyone."

For Dodie Rhodes, she feels the prescription bottles filled with candy were disturbing. She recently lost her son, Chris, to a prescription drug overdose. She's been working with the Anti-Drug Coalition to keep pills out of kids' hands.

"Look at the county. How many deaths have we had from prescription drugs," Rhodes said. "I can understand the marketing part of it, but I'm thinking who would give out candy to children in pill bottles?"

She believes the promotional items send a mixed message to kids.

"It's easier to learn something than to unlearn something. Thinking this is candy in a pill bottle is not the message we want our children to have."

When it comes to prescription drugs, most people in the Ripley community can agree that it's the parents responsibility to teach their children what is right and wrong.

"My 6 year old knows the difference between candy and medications," said Dr. Billie Toler. "It 's my responsibility to put medications up where the kids can't get a hold of them."

Dr. Toler agrees that her intentions, along with Ripley Pharmacy, was to better the community, not turn the town against them.

"We won't do the pill bottles again because obviously what we thought was Innocent and harmless, some people took the wrong way. I can appreciate that."

Ripley Drug purchased the prescription bottles on the Internet. They are a marketing tool that has been used by pharmacies and hospitals for years.