Pharmacists in New Brunswick are only able to sell the following:
1) Authorized Prescription medicines that have been prescribed and written for their clients by a qualified physician; or
2) Non-Authorized Prescription medicines that have been prescribed and written for their clients by a qualified physician.
3) Disinfectants, antiseptics, cold sore treatments, sun screen ointments, off-the-shelf medications (OTC), first-aid supplies and local anesthetics. For these items they must be present at the time of dispensing to be sold.
4) Toiletry products i.e. toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, and shaving cream. For these items they must be present at the time of dispensing to be sold.
5) Cosmetics that do not fall under the NHPAC rules and regulations (i.e. sunscreen etc.) For these items they must be present at the time of dispensing to be sold.-It is illegal for pharmacists to have these items on their premises and to dispense them at their discretion.-Pharmacists may NOT advertise that they sell these items.
-Pharmacists may NOT advertise that they sell these items. Also, these items are not considered schedule II controlled substances.
It is illegal for pharmacists to have these items on their premises and to dispense them at their discretion. Pharmacists may NOT advertise that they sell these items. -Pharmacists may NOT advertise that they sell these items. It is illegal for pharmacists to have these items on their premises and to dispense them at their discretion, but many do in New Brunswick through deceptive marketing schemes. In such instances, the Attorney General’s Office has received numerous complaints. The Attorney General has recently taken action against some of these pharmacies.
In the 1970s there was a pharmacist in Moncton named Bernie Bernardo, who dispensed syringes filled with a drug that he called “the juice.” He was caught selling them to addicts for $10 each. Because he had violated the Pharmacy Act of New Brunswick, he was convicted. It was one of the only times in Canada that a pharmacist has been charged with dispensing drugs.
How do pharmacists get their chemicals? Some are legally obtained while others they illegally obtain through their own initiatives. There is no licensing process in place and there is no regulation as to how many chemicals pharmacies can have on their shop shelves. A pharmacy can have brands of the same chemical on their shelves such as “Cortisporin,” “Lysol,” and “Reckitt Benkiser.” They can also have multiple brands of the same chemical on their shelves. Many pharmacies get their chemicals from Canada where there are no regulations for them to purchase these materials. This is a loophole that many pharmacists use to acquire these materials.
Many pharmacists in New Brunswick have been dispensing Schedule 2, 3 and 4 drugs after they were prescribed by a doctor, but they were not written or authorized by the doctor. There was no problem with this until recently when the Health Minister announced that they would be closing down pharmacies dispensing these dangerous prescription drugs. Mr. Oliver, the director of the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists (NBCP), is in favour of the Health Minister’s decision and said that he understands that there should be a police investigation on these pharmacists. Mr. Oliver says that he doesn’t want to see pharmacists lose their licences as a result of breaking the law. He says that it is up to the government to decide whether or not they should lose their licences.
