Pubdate: Thu, 25 Feb 2016 Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775 Author: Thandi Fletcher Page: 4 DRUGSTORES, YOUR BEST BUD London Drugs could be selling you pot, should it be legalized Medical marijuana users may soon be able to pick up some pot along with other prescription pills, at least if two of Canada's largest drugstore chains have their way. Richmond-based London Drugs says the company is exploring the possibility of selling medical marijuana in its 79 stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, should the federal government legalize it. "London Drugs is not doing anything with medical marijuana today, but we anticipate that most likely the legislation will change to enable medical marijuana to be more accessible," John Tse, vice-president of pharmacy for London Drugs, told Metro. "Should the legislation change, we're going to prepare ourselves to be ready for that." The drugstore made its comments Wednesday after the Globe and Mail, citing unnamed sources, reported that competitor Shoppers Drug Mart has held meetings with medical marijuana producers and suppliers over the past year about the idea of selling legal pot through its pharmacies. Shoppers Drug Mart would not confirm if it has met with medical marijuana producers. But in a statement Wednesday, the company said it believes pharmacies are best equipped to dispense medical marijuana. If and when marijuana is legalized, Tse agreed it makes sense for pharmacists to dispense medical pot given their expertise in prescription drug management. As experts in drug interactions, he said pharmacists could help determine if a patient who is taking other prescription medications could face any possible negative side effects if they also use medical marijuana. Since drug stores already operate in a highly regulated environment, Tse said being able to dispense medical marijuana could also yield information about its use to help guide future regulatory changes. But Tse acknowledged that there are still many problems to weed out first, from training pharmacists on how to dispense medical marijuana to finding more medical literature about the effects of pot. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt