Pubdate: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 Calgary Herald Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald STORES MONITOR METH LAB DRUG Some Calgary pharmacies were clearing space behind the counter Friday to comply with a new provincial regulation designed to prevent non-prescription decongestants from being used to make methamphetamine. For others, it was business as usual -- they had already moved medications containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter as part of a voluntary program launched by the Alberta College of Pharmacists in 2004. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made using household chemicals and solvents to extract its key ingredient -- ephedrine or pseudoephedrine -- from over-the-counter medications. The province's rule affects 17 "single-entity" products which have pseudoephedrine as the main active ingredient, such as extra-strength and 12-hour varieties of Sudafed and Contac. Less-potent varieties and brands that use pseudoephedrine in conjunction with other ingredients can remain on store shelves. "We're ahead of the legislation because we thought this was the prudent thing to do," said John Tse, the general manager of pharmacies for London Drugs. While the other western provinces consider regulations similar to Alberta's, London Drugs has already moved single-entity products behind the counter across its entire 63-store chain. The company also has a built-in function at checkouts that tells cashiers to alert a pharmacist if the sale of any product containing pseudoephedrine exceeds a certain quantity. The measure is not solely to monitor suspicious purchases, but also ensures legitimately ill customers aren't overmedicating, said Tse. "It's also about their health," he said. While larger retailers like London Drugs already had measures in place, change was in order at independent operators like Douglass Drugs on 16th Ave-nue N.E. "We'll move them behind the counter," said Chuck Seto. The rule change is part of a broader move by the provincial government to address growing crystal meth use and production in Alberta. Police have uncovered large-scale meth "superlabs" in the Edmonton area, and, more recently, an operation hidden in a quonset on an acreage north of Calgary earlier this year. Agencies such as the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission are encountering more addicts and AADAC opened 24 new treatment spaces for youths addicted to crystal meth. The Alberta government also formed a meth task force headed by Premier Ralph Klein's wife, Colleen, to come up with strategies to combat the drug. Restricting access to over-the-counter medications has helped some U.S. jurisdictions cut down on the amount of clandestine meth labs and Alberta's move is being praised by local police. "It throws up another obstacle (to criminals). This really helps to alleviate the smaller labs that are hard to detect," said Staff Sgt. Kevan Stuart of the Calgary police drug unit. Indeed, the move is not a cure-all. The criminals who use over-the-counter medications tend to be "mom and pop" operators who are cooking meth for their own use and for people they know. Criminal organizations have been exploiting loopholes in federal regulations to obtain bulk quantities of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine for use in meth. Health Canada now requires a licence for anyone importing or exporting meth precursors like pseudoephedrine. Possession of bulk amounts still has no licensing requirement. [sidebar] MEDICATIONS MOVED BEHIND THE COUNTER Name Strength Size Congest Aid 30 mg tablets 250 Contac Cold 12-Hour Non Drowsy 120 mg caplets 10 and up Decon NS 60 mg tablets 24 Drixoral ND Long Acting 120 mg tablets 10 Eltor 120 120 mg tablets 12 and up Nasal + Sinus Decongestant Relief 60 mg tablets 24 PMS Pseudoephedrine Syrup 6 mg/mL 100 mL and up PMS Pseudoephedrine Tablet 60 mg tablets 100 and up Pseudoephedrine (manufactured by Pumpuii Canada Inc.) 60 mg tablets 50 Pseudofrin Sirop 6 mg/mL 250 mL Pseudofrin Tablets 60 mg tablets 12 and up Sudafed Decongestant Children's Chewable 15 mg tablets 12 Sudafed Decongestant Extra Strength 60 mg tablets 12 and up Sudafed Decongestant 12-Hour 120 mg tablets 10 and up Tantafed 60 mg tablets 24 Triaminic Allergy Congestion 3 mg/mL 100mL Triaminic Oral Pediatric Drops 93/8 mg/mL 40 mL Source: Alberta College of Pharmacists - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake