DRUGGIST HEADS OFF METH MAKERS

Instead of waiting for a law telling him to do so, a Surrey pharmacist has
decided to keep all drugs containing meth-making ingredients behind the
counter.

"I thought I would rather be proactive because bureaucrats take a long time
to get things going," said Dinesh Chowhan, owner of a Surrey Pharmasave.

Chowhan's customers have to ask staff for medications containing ephedrine
or pseudoephedrine, key precursors in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

While some customers wondered about the change, Chowhan said most now fully
understand.

He and his employees have made it a point to raise awareness about the drug.

The pharmacist's approach drew rave reviews from a group working on trying
to limit meth's impact in B.C.'s capital.

"I applaud this initiative," said Mark McLaughlin, president of the Crystal
Meth Victoria Society.

McLaughlin said efforts like Chowhan's are very important because they not
only limit access to the precursors, they also help to educate the public
at large.

B.C.'s College of Pharmacists asked druggists to voluntarily restrict
access to the products in 2004.

Alberta's pharmacist college followed suit in July. But McLaughlin said
voluntary compliance hasn't been accepted "in the main."

London Drugs has announced it will review larger-than-normal sales of
products containing pseudoephedrine and has produced an information
brochure outlining the risks associated with meth.