CITY CRACKS DOWN ON METH PRACTICE

The City of Surrey has introduced a bylaw allowing it to shut down
pharmacies offering cash for methadone prescriptions.

It represents the first legislation in B.C. outlawing the practice.

In December, a Leader investigation revealed that two, and as many as four,
North Surrey pharmacies were paying heroin addicts cash for their methadone
prescriptions.

There are 19 pharmacies in Surrey and North Delta dispensing methadone, a
drug commonly used to reduce the effects of heroin withdrawal.

PharmaCare pays pharmacists $105 a month per patient for dispensing the
drug. In addition, pharmacists charge between two and 50 cents per
millilitre for the drug.

Because the potential revenue is significant, marketing techniques can be
aggressive.

Local heroin addicts can receive between $20 and $40 in cash every month
from pharmacies for their methadone business.

Until now, there's been nothing illegal about the cash-back scheme.

College of Pharmacist registrar Linda Lytle sent out a Jan. 22 letter
asking pharmacies to stop offering cash to methadone patients.

The letter did not list any consequences if pharmacists chose to continue
offering cash to heroin addicts.

Coun. Judy Higginbotham said the city can't wait for the province.

On Monday, city council gave unanimous approval to Higginbotham's motion to
amend the business licence bylaw "to prohibit the giving of cash rebates to
methadone prescription clients by pharmacists."

In addition, the mayor will write a letter to the province this week asking
for similar legislation.

"The intent of the motion is to go to the government and have them apply
controls," McCallum said Thursday, adding that could come by way of
legislation or a more stringent code of ethics.

Other provinces including Alberta and Ontario strictly prohibit the scheme.

Officials in Alberta told The Leader last month they hadn't heard of the
cash-for-customer scheme, but if it happened in that province, they would
"have a big problem with it." The Alberta College of Pharmacists' code of
conduct prohibits such practices.

Likewise, the Ontario College of Pharmacists has a code of conduct backed
by strict provincial legislation under the 1991 Ontario Pharmacy Act that
makes such practices illegal.

Professional misconduct in that province includes, "offering or
distributing, directly or indirectly, a gift, rebate, bonus or other
inducement with respect to prescription or prescription services."

Several actions can be taken in that province if a pharmacy is found in
violation of the code, up to and including complete revocation of a
pharmacist's licence.

Sue Hammell, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers says if legislation is necessary,
she'll support it.

"Do I condone the practice? No," Hammell said. "Am I in support of having
it stopped? Yes. If that requires legislation from the province - yes."

Joan Smallwood, MLA for Surrey-Whalley is expecting a report back from the
ministry of health outlining the best way of stopping the cash-back scheme.