COLD REMEDIES PULLED FROM STORES

Only Pharmacies To Sell Products With Crystal Meth Ingredients

REGINA (SNN) -- Pharmacies will be the only retailers allowed to sell
cough and cold remedies containing ingredients that can be misused to
make crystal meth, says Saskatchewan's minister of healthy living services.

Crystal meth is made of a variety of chemicals, including ephedrine
and pseudoephedrine in cold and allergy products.

A long list of cold and allergy products -- including brands such as
Sinutab and Sudafed -- will no longer be allowed for sale in grocery
or convenience stores following an announcement by Graham Addley on Tuesday.

Those stores will have a transition period to wind down their sales
of these products.

This announcement is welcomed by police and pharmacists, but not by
grocery stores.

"From the Joe Public perspective, I can understand if someone with a
bad cold in a small community is upset (with this announcement)
because the only drugstore is in the next town," said Sgt. Jerome
Engele of Saskatoon's integrated drug unit.

"But from a police perspective, this is good news. It's good to hear
the government is recognizing the dangers of crystal meth."

Those products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will need to
be rescheduled by Saskatchewan Health under the province's drug
scheduling regulations.

By making them a Schedule 3 drug, only pharmacies can legally sell them.

This change was recommended by the National Association of Pharmacy
Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA). It is something the Saskatchewan
College of Pharmacists supports.

"There will be a modest negative impact on access," said the National
Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee, which is a committee of NAPRA.

"But (there will be) a significant gain in improved opportunity for
focusing efforts to train sales personnel, monitor sales and detect
potential abuses."

The province first restricted the sale of medications containing
ephedrine or pseudoephedrine last November. Products containing only
those ingredients were moved behind pharmacy counters.

Manitoba and Alberta pharmacies also made this move.