Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2003
Source: Surrey Now (CN BC)
Copyright: 2003 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company
Contact:  http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462
Author: Ted Colley

'POLICING IS OUR BUSINESS'

A controversial bylaw aimed at controlling alleged illicit activities by 
some methadone-dispensing pharmacies received preliminary approval from 
Surrey council Monday.

The bylaw is intended to deal with what city solicitor Craig MacFarlane 
calls "unprescribed carries," the practice of allowing recovering drug 
addicts to take methadone home with them without a doctor's approval.

Most addicts on the program are required to drink their methadone before 
leaving the pharmacy but about 20 per cent are legally allowed to take 
methadone home, a privilege that can only be given by the doctor treating 
the addict.

Police say illegal carries are being sold or traded on the street for other 
illegal drugs, adding to the crime problems facing Surrey.

"It is a wakeup call to pharmacies and the provincial government," Mayor 
Doug McCallum said.

"I think the methadone program is a good thing. Where the missing link is, 
there's no control. A small per cent abuse it and that's who we're going 
after."

The new bylaw, which received third reading Monday, will require 
pharmacists to keep a record of all methadone patients, the prescribing 
doctor, who has carries and how much they're allowed to take.

Pharmacists must already record most of this information under existing 
regulations, but Surrey's bylaw adds another requirement that has raised a 
storm of protest: Pharmacists must allow police to inspect the patient 
register on request.

The B.C. College of Pharmacists, the B.C. College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, the provincial privacy commissioner and the B.C. Civil Liberties 
Association have all labelled the bylaw an invasion of privacy.

"I believe we're on a slippery slope of invasion into private health 
information," said Coun. Penny Priddy, a former NDP health minister.

"I believe we will have several challenges to this from the privacy 
commissioner and perhaps from the civil liberties association."

Councillors Barbara Steele and Gary Tymoschuk both said the intention is 
not to publicly identify those on the methadone program but to give police 
an added tool for investigating illegal activity.

Coun. Marvin Hunt agreed.

"This isn't a health care problem, it's a criminal problem and policing is 
our business. When you have a specific problem, you go back to the source 
and that's what we're doing," Hunt said.

In the end, council voted 6-3 in favour of the bylaw and also approved 
Coun. Dianne Watts' suggestion that the city meet with the various 
stakeholders before a final vote.
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MAP posted-by: Alex