Pubdate: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2003 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.thewest.com.au Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495 Author: Peta Rasdien Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Australia Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) EX-ADDICTS LEFT HIGH AND DRY The biggest supplier of a drug used to help heroin addicts kick the habit has been withdrawn from the Community Program for Opioid Pharmacotherapy after failing to comply with the Poisons Act. Victoria Park Pharmacy, which supplied up to 250 clients, agreed to withdraw from the program after the Health Department uncovered ongoing problems with record-keeping, tracking and accounts for tablets supplied to the pharmacy. In a ministerial statement to Parliament this week, Health Minister Jim McGinty said prosectuion was considered but there was "no public benefit in taking this approach if corrective action could be achieved through other means". "The ongoing success of this program is dependent on ensuring that these drugs are supplied in a safe and responsible manner," he said. "It is not acceptable for the (Health) Department to allow any practice that contravenes the Poisons Act." Pharmacist John Guilfoyle blamed the record-keeping problems on a faulty computer program and denied any criminal wrongdoing. He was concerned some of his former clients might now fall out of the program. Mr Guilfoyle has dispensed methadone through the program since 1983 and buprenorphine for about two years and was part of its pilot program. It is understood about 60 former addicts were left without a supplier yesterday, the first day the program was stopped at the pharmacy. The West Australian yesterday spoke to former addicts, who were concerned about the handling of the closure and the impact it would have. One woman, who did not want to be named, had been on the program for 18 months and had arranged to transfer her prescription for buprenorphine to another pharmacy but at the last minute, the pharmacy had refused to accept her because it was overwhelmed by other people from the program. She was not able to access her dose of the drug yesterday and faced a long weekend of withdrawal until she could see her doctor on Monday to arrange another prescription for another pharmacy. A petition was presented to Mr McGinty calling for the pharmacy to continue the program, but he said it was in the best interests of the program for the pharmacy to stop its involvement. Health Department chief pharmacist Murray Patterson said clients who needed to access the drugs should contact the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on 9442 5000. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin