Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2006, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Andre Picard Section: A 1 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada) SALES OF COLD REMEDIES LIMITED TO STOP CRYSTAL METH PRODUCTION Corner stores and grocery stores without pharmacies across Canada have been ordered to stop selling a wide range of cold and allergy medications because they contain active ingredients that can be used to make the street drug crystal meth. The ban, which takes effect on April 10, does not apply to pharmacies. But some of the strongest cold and allergy medications -- those most in demand by clandestine drug labs -- will be moved behind the counter and not be available without consulting a pharmacist. "The idea is to balance the availability of these products with the risk of retail diversion for illicit purposes," said Ken Potvin, executive director of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, a group that effectively decides where prescription and non-prescription drugs can be sold. "We think the public will understand this small inconvenience." Manufacturers of these popular medications and stores that sell them, however, are miffed. "What we're seeing is the application of a solution to a problem that, frankly, we don't have," said Gerry Harrington, director of public affairs at the Non-Prescription Drug Manufacturers Association of Canada. "We don't believe there should be any retail restrictions on these products." Pharmacies have been struggling for several years to find a way to deal with the problem. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have already restricted the sales of some of the products to behind the counter. The new rules apply to all drugs containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Annual sales of these drugs exceed $200-million in Canada. Products that contain these elements as a single ingredient will be sold only behind the counter at pharmacies. Among the 17 products affected are Sudafed Decongestant 12-hour caplets and non-drowsy Contac Cold 12-hour. All cold, cough and allergy medications that contain multiple ingredients including ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will be sold only in pharmacies. This category includes hundreds of products, such as big sellers like Benylin, Tylenol Cold, Triaminic and Claritin Sinus. Gary Sands, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, said the decision to pull the products from only some stores makes no sense. "If these products are really a problem, then why not put them all behind the counter? I just don't understand why you won't be able to buy cold and cough remedies in the grocery store but you will be able to buy them off the shelf in the pharmacy." Mr. Sands said while urban dwellers will simply have to shop elsewhere for their cold and allergy medications, those in rural and northern communities -- where pharmacies are harder to find -- will be most affected by the new regulations. Crystal meth -- which is also known as speed or crank -- can be easily manufactured with a combination of fertilizer, cold medication and sometimes products that contain ephedrine and are sold in health food stores. In Canada, most crystal meth is manufactured in large labs controlled by biker gangs, who divert large quantities of the active ingredients from drug companies. In the United States, where commercial supplies have been choked off, it is much more common to find home labs that make speed in small quantities using cold and allergy medications bought or stolen from retail stores. Mr. Harrington said that only three dozen home meth labs were found in Canada in the past five years. The number for the United States in that period is 10,000. "This is a knee-jerk response to an American problem," he said. But he said what was most concerning was the precedent of NAPRA -- a group whose primary concern is supposed to be the pharmacological safety of drugs -- wading into law enforcement and losing sight of the fact that the vast majority of consumers use these drugs responsibly and legitimately. "Dealing with the serious problem of crystal meth requires an understanding of criminal behaviour patterns and black market economics, areas where this committee has no expertise," Mr. Harrington said. Mr. Potvin of NAPRA acknowledged that this is "not the usual application of our drug schedule," but said it was legitimate for regulators to be concerned about the potential for drugs to be abused and take counter measures. He added that while home crystal meth labs may not be common in Canada, regulators can and should be proactive. "This is a preventive measure but it still allows the public broad access to these very effective products," Mr. Potvin said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin