CASH FOR CRACKDOWN

Canberra: Police forensic chemists are to receive an extra $200, 000 over
the next 4 years to help crackdown on the growing number of hidden drug
laborities.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said the money would be provided under the
national strategy to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals which are
used in the illegal manufacture of amphetamines.

Flu pill buyers end up in police files by Suellen Hinde

A prominent Territory solicitor says pharmacists who are providing peronal
details from people buying over the counter medicines to police could be
breaching privacy laws. Solicitor Bill Priestley recently attempted to buy
a packet of Sudafed while suffering from the flu and 2 Darwin chemists both
asked him for his drivers licence.

"The 1st chemist asked me to show my drivers licence so he could make a
photocopy to send to police," Mr Priestley said. "I refused and the chemist
refused to sell me the Sudafed. "I then went to a 2nd chemist that also
asked for my drivers license and I refused, and after some argument he
relented and old me the Sudafed."

Sudafed contains psuedoephedrine, a precursor to the manufacture of
amphetamines. Territory police and the Territory Government deny formal or
informal arrangements with chemists to supply customers personal
information exist.

But the Sunday Territorian has obtained a letter from the Territory Police
Information and Reporting Branch to Mr Preistley stating a memorandum of
understanding exists between the Pharmacists Guild, the NT Pharmacy Board,
NT Police and the Department of Health and Community Services.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia also has a national code of practice to
refuse or limit the sale of medicines containing psuedoephedrine.
Pharmaceutical Guild of Australia NT Branch president Ian Marshall said
most Darwin pharmacists have signed up to the code of practice that
involved obtaining information from people buying medicines with high
levels of codeine and passing that information on to police. "They have
signed up to that code." Mr Marshall said. "It requires seeking ID,
recording and supplying information from purchasers of these medicines not
known to pharmacists.'It is to make sure the drug is used for the purpose
it was intended to." "These young kids come in trying to buy it and it is
one of those isues that is for the greater good."

But a Territory police spokesman said that there was no arrangement with
pharmacists to collect this information. "Northern Territory Police do not
have a policy of collecting drivers licence details from chemists", he said.

But in a letter to Mr Priestley Business Information and Reporting Branch
director Garry Lambert said there was in place arrangements for the
transfer of information by pharmacies to NT police.