By KEVIN SPURGAITIS
The self-care health products industry recently joined forces with law enforcement and government, to combat the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamines.
In August, the Drug Manufacturers Association of Canada NDMAC), the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS) and the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, formally teamed with the RCMP’s national chemical diversion department and Health Canada’s office of controlled substances. They formed the Meth Watch Coalition, the first visible body to institute a learning-based anti-methamphetamine program in the country.
“Community orientation is usually important. There’s a commitment to developing a program, preventing the diversion of house-hold products used in the production of illegal drugs,” said Gerry Harrington, director of public and professional affairs for the NDMAC. The organization represents manufacturers, marketers and distributors of personal and self-care products.
Meth Watch — characterized by training, technical assistance and retail support — will consist of educational materials, cautionary posters and placards, a national resource center and a web site that includes an Internet-based learning tool. Retailers and pharmacists will be trained to spot suspicious purchases of non-prescription drugs and contact law enforcement officials with sufficient identifying information.
The Canadian coalition’s anti-methamphetamine measure is based on an initiative first introduced in Kansas. A public-private partnership spearheaded by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association’s (CHPA), the model Meth Watch program significantly curtailed sales and theft of pseudoephedrine products for illicit purposes. Participants in the U.S. program now report safer stores, better customer relations, increased employee awareness and improved communications with law enforcement, even in areas where the drug use was endemic.
The illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine — or crystal meth, speed, crank — requires precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine (PSE) and ephedrine, which are commonly contained in over-the-counter cold, flu and allergy medications. Although the diversion of cold, flu and allergy medicines, alone, does not bolster clandestine methamphetamine manufacturring, stakeholders in the pharmacy industry say they are committed to ensuring safe communities and stores. On any given day, eight million consumers visit retail pharmacies, located in just about every community across Canada, according to Christina Bisanz, president and CEO of the CACDS.
“It is important that CACDS members are responsive in helping to curb the illicit use of self-care products,” Bisanz said. “There’s a need to educate both pharmacists and retail employees and ensure they are well positioned to take preventative action, while not deterring consumers who access products for appropriate use.”
The Canadian Press reports the use of synthetic stimulants is increasing nationally, especially among street youth and high school students. Methamphetamine use is still in its infancy here, but it is considered a significant enough health and safety issue in Alberta and British Columbia. Its cash-strapped users binge on the low-priced, highly addictive narcotic for a short-lived ‘high.’ However, the drug affects the nervous system, causing paranoia, schizophrenia, depression, hallucinations and violent behaviour. For some, the effects can also be fatal, causing heart attack and stroke.
In 2002, Health Canada introduced a series of regulatory measures preventing the diversion of household products at the manufacturer and wholesaler levels. The Precursor Control Regulation, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, enables law enforcement to better monitor and control precursor drugs. In Alberta, the provinces’ pharmaceutical licensing and regulatory body, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, promoted capping the amount of dispensed pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. In addition, they requested the restricted access to single-ingredient products containing either precursor. Sobeys, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, Save-On-Foods and Westfair/Superstore are among the Alberta retailers voluntarily moving household drugs like Sudafed and Sinutab behind the counter, and limiting their sales (400 mg of ephedrine and 3,600 mg of pseudoephedrine — or one large package — per single transaction).
However, some industry representatives oppose limiting access to virtually two-thirds of the cough-cold section of pharmacies. With approximately 60 per cent of Canadians using non-prescription drugs each year, according to the NDMAC, “funneling” pharmacy customers to the dispensary will place an unnecessary strain on stores’ resources.
The Meth Watch initiative, expected to be in place by year’s end, does not require Canadian pharmacies to completely revamp their front shop and dispensaries, Harrington pointed out.
“This is a terrific opportunity for us to be the first jurisdiction in the world to prevent the large-scale diversion of self-care products,” Harrington said. “It’s a huge undertaking, but we recognize that if the methamphedamine problem takes flight, it’ll be much harder to put the genie back in the bottle.”
Originally published in the Pharmacy Post, September 2003
