PUBLIC DEBATES CITY'S PROPOSED METH BYLAW

Mohamed Dewji, a pharmacist at North Surrey's Medical Centre Prescriptions,
had about 40 methadone clients before so-called "methadone dispensaries"
arrived in Surrey two years ago.

Those drug stores, which deal primarily in dispensing methadone, have
siphoned off much of his business, leaving him with about 12 clients.

"What are these other pharmacies giving them that I'm not?" Dewji asked
city council at a public input meeting on Monday.

The meeting was scheduled to give the public a say on a controversial bylaw
that would allow senior police officers access to client lists of methadone
pharmacies.

Dewji pointed out that if he obeyed that bylaw, he'd be in contravention
the B.C. College of Pharmacists' code of conduct, putting him in an
impossible situation.

He said he won't be providing his client list to police.

"I'm just going to stop dispensing methadone," Dewji said.

He recognizes there is a problem with some of the "dispensaries" up in
North Surrey, and added that he's registered complaints with the B.C.
College of Pharmacists.

He said that the college wanted proof of the unacceptable activities.

"If there are pharmacies that are doing unprofessional things, they should
stop them," Dewji said.

Dewji told council that there was once a 30-patient cap on patients per
pharmacy, but that was disregarded.

He believes the cap should be reinstated.

"I did bring it up to the College of Physicians, but it didn't get anywhere
there," Dewji said.

Sam Paris, a pharmacist from a Langley Safeway, agreed with some of Dewji's
concerns and said that some North Surrey patients were coming to him
because they weren't getting the care they needed.

"They're coming all the way out to Langley because their looking for
someone who's providing a good program," Paris said. Methadone patients
require firm boundaries, Paris said, adding he enters into a contractual
agreement with the client.

"We're going to treat you as a person, and we expect you to do the same in
return," Paris said.

He also said authorities need to enforce existing regulations.

"I think the College of Physicians has a lot to answer, and I think the
College of Pharmacists has a lot to answer as far as how this is
regulated," Paris said.

In addition to the pharmacists, several members of the public addressed
council, many lauding the crackdown on dispensaries.

"I would like to have methadone dispensaries run out of town," James Woods
told council. He said that his neighbourhood, near 92 Ave. and King George
Hwy., has been overrun by drug dealers, prostitutes and addicts, which he
believes is fuelled by methadone. Christine Eden said something has to be
done about dispensaries that are disregarding provincial regulations. She
supported Surrey's approach.

However, not everyone was in favour of Surrey enacting its bylaw.

"What my doctor and I discuss is our business," said Marie Cooper." If
pharmacies are illegally dispensing methadone, throw the book at them."

As of this week, the B.C. College of Pharmacists is investigating a North
Surrey pharmacy that was the subject of a sting by The Leader.

A patient who was prescribed "daily witnessed ingestion" of methadone was
allowed to carry some of the drug out of the store, a violation of the
province's pharmacy act.

Surrey believes the regulatory authorities aren't doing enough and plans to
discuss final adoption of the bylaw on April 28.