WOOLWORTHS CONSIDERS PLAN FOR DRUG, NEEDLE DISPENSARIES

Prescription drugs including methadone, naltrexone and narcotics, and
needles for heroin addicts may soon be available from Woolworths
stores under a plan being considered by the supermarket chain.

Under the scheme, Woolworths would rent space in its stores to
pharmacists.

More than 50 pharmacists are believed to have been approached to move
their shops into the supermarket and negotiations are well under way
with a Mona Vale chemist, Mr Warwick Plunkett, who may be the first to
move into his local Woolies. But the NSW Pharmacy Guild said yesterday
it would advise members against renting space because it believed
Woolworths would exert subtle pressure on chemists to restrict
services and it was "inappropriate" to dispense medicines next to beer
and cigarettes.

Chemists located in and owned by supermarkets are common in America
and England. But Woolworths has dropped plans to own chemists outright
because this would have required a change in the law and was strongly
opposed by pharmacy organisations.

By law, chemists, not their landlords, have the final say over what
products are sold in pharmacies, so Woolworths would have no legal
authority to block the dispensing of controversial drugs or the
operation of a needle exchange program.

Woolworth's chief executive officer, Mr Roger Corbett, told a recent
meeting of pharmacists in Sydney and reported in this month's NSW
Pharmacy Guild Bulletin that "methadone people were customers and that
they are entitled to a service, providing the process is properly managed".

Mr Corbett told the Herald the comments were made strictly to
pharmacists. Mr Plunkett, who has been negotiating with Woolworths
since last year, said he was "commercially vulnerable" to Woolworths
renting space to another pharmacist in the store.

"Currently, I have a pharmacy that operates 50 metres from their front
door," he said.

"For me to be inside their front door and have 27,000 people walking
past my front door currently would appear to be a significant
opportunity."

Although not part of the methadone program, Mr Plunkett said he was
part of the needle exchange program and dispensed dangerous "Schedule
8" drugs, including narcotics.

Mr Corbett told the Herald Woolworths was talking to a number of
pharmacies about setting up shop within the store.

A Council of Australian Governments review is looking at the law on
ownership of chemists which prevents non-registered pharmacists from
owning chemist shops. Woolworths has dropped plans to press for a
change in the law on pharmacy ownerships.

"If and when we decide to put pharmacies in our stores we will do so
in partnership with pharmacies," he said.

The registrar of the Pharmacy Board of NSW, Mr Ian Dean, said
Woolworths would be within the law provided the chemist had a separate
entrance to the street. But it could also have an entrance directly
into Woolworths. Mr Dean said it was the business of pharmacists to
decide what service to provide.

Mr Dean said Woolworths "would not dare" to tell a pharmacist renting
space whether the shop could operate a needle exchange.