Pubdate: Tue, 23 Sep 2003
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2003 New Zealand Herald
Contact:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300
Author: Scott MacLeod
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CHEMISTS: GET TOUGH ON 'P' PILLS

Health officials are being urged to ban some cold and flu pills or make 
them prescription-only to stop them being used for the illegal drugs speed 
and P.

Such a ban would apply to some of the best decongestants on the market, 
such as Actifed, Sudafed and Nurofen Cold and Flu.

Calls to ban the pseudoephedrine-based pills come from pharmacists sick of 
customers getting angry when asked to show photo identification to buy the 
pills.

Some are already refusing to stock the pills after being robbed or burgled.

The president of the Pharmacy Guild, Richard Heslop, said the problems had 
prompted some pharmacists to call for a ban.

"The unfortunate part is that it inconveniences the genuine purchaser - 
it's the best decongestant we have available."

The Waitemata District Health Board has lobbied the Ministry of Health to 
make the pills prescription-only.

Board member Warren Flaunty said the call was made to help tackle P 
addiction, "destroyed families" and "customers who become so irate".

Such a move would effectively kill sales of the pills, since most people 
with colds or flu would rather self-medicate than visit doctors for 
prescriptions.

The Government has responded by considering whether to reclassify the pills 
under the Misuse of Drugs Act, as recommended by the Expert Advisory 
Committee on Drugs.

The plan is to make pseudoephedrine a class C drug - the same broad 
category that applies to some forms of cannabis.

Ministry of Health media adviser Joanne Perry said pharmacy customers would 
notice little difference under the plan but border officials would have 
stronger powers to control imports.

The Herald revealed yesterday that Customs Service staff were struggling to 
deal with a surge of pseudoephedrine imports that could bring four million 
pills in for illegal drug factories this year.

Customs was hamstrung by provisions in the act that made it hard to 
prosecute the importers. Joanne Perry said the proposal might go through 
Parliament within two months.

Pharmacists yesterday said it had become almost universal during the past 
three months to ask for photo identification when customers wanted the pills.

Packets costing around $14 could be sold to illegal drug factories for $100.

Police believe 95 per cent of speed and P in New Zealand is made from the 
pills.
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MAP posted-by: Beth