FLU DRUGS REMOVED OVER 'P' FEAR

Pharmacies are refusing to stock cold and flu medicines containing the
key ingredient needed to make pure methamphetamine.

An increasing number of Bay chemists have revealed they have imposed a
voluntary ban on stocking pseudoephedrine-based products while others
are only putting small quantities on their shelves.

The move _ which follows a total ban in Rotorua _ comes after
frustrated pharmacists suffered repeated burglaries from pill shoppers
desperate to get their hands on quantities of the drug.

It means that as winter looms, it will be harder for genuine cold and
flu patients to get relief.

Chemist and Pharmacy Guild representative Rob Blackett said most
pharmacies were now ordering the medicines when needed for genuine
customers.

``Most pharmacies are ordering in for people they know and that's the
way we are controlling it,'' Mr Blackett said.

Mr Blackett said car loads of people used to turn up wanting to buy
the products which could be broken down and used for P.

Now there were very few, apart from regular and legitimate customers,
who requested the drugs.

Fellow Pharmacy Guild representative and owner of Brookfield Amcal
Pharmacy, Nigel Gregory, refused to stock the products after being
broken into twice by thieves who stole pseudoephedrine-based medicines.

``This winter the criminal element will be hard pushed to find anyone
stocking it,'' he said.

``But we can order it for those people we know are genuine.''

Philip Rowe, director of Faulkners Pharmacy, refused to stock
pseudoephedrine-based products last October after being broken into
twice in a month.

Hundreds of pills containing pseudoephedrine worth hundreds of dollars
were stolen in the raids of his Cameron Rd chemist.

Mr Rowe said once he had declared he would no longer stock the drugs
the problem disappeared immediately.

He said not stocking pseudoephedrine-based products was the only way
to protect staff and stop his business being repeatedly burgled. ``The
news spread by word of mouth and we noticed about one week after it
was announced that the problem stopped.''

Seven months on there have been no further break-ins.

The self-imposed ban had come at a $30,000 financial loss a year but
Mr Rowe said ethically it was the right thing to do.

Another who refused to stock the products was Blacketts Pharmacy in Te
Puke.

Mark Bradford, owner of Care Chemist at Mount Maunganui, said the P
issue had not gone away and it was time for collective action from
chemists, police and the government.

``There is a huge amount of education to be done. Kids need to be
aware of the consequences, it needs to be drummed into them what this
dangerous drug can do.''

Mr Bradford supported a total ban on selling medicines containing
pseudoephedrine, similar to the ban introduced by Rotorua pharmacists
on Christmas Eve.

Rotorua pharmacists have hailed the ban a success reporting there had
not been a single visit from anyone who appeared to be wanting
ingredients for P.

The city was one of the first centres in the country to place a
complete ban on such products, prompting a Government-initiated review
of its disadvantages and advantages.

Dispensary manager at Bayfair Pharmacy John Speirs reported a
significant drop in the number of people coming in asking for the drug
since photo identification was asked for when buying pseudoephedrine
products.

``There is no need for a total ban, pharmacists in this area are doing
a good job of monitoring the sale of these products.''

In Tauranga, Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said there was
still a high demand for the drug with the most recent chemist burglary
only two weeks ago.

``There are people still shopping for these products,'' he
said.

The Bethlehem Pharmacy had the front door smashed in with a
sledgehammer and many boxes of drugs taken on April 6. Owner Mark
Arundel said the burglars were after pseudoephedrine-based cold and
flu pills.