Project STOP could boost the fight against “P”

Project STOP could boost the fight against “P”

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (the Guild) is urging the Government to consider introducing the highly successful Australian initiative, Project STOP, into New Zealand pharmacies to help the fight against methamphetamine, commonly known as “P”.

Project STOP is an online tool used to track sales of pseudoephedrine and has contributed to a 23% decrease in the number of clandestine drug laboratories and assisted in more than 30 arrests in Queensland, Australia. The system was developed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and is voluntary for pharmacists. The tool has been running throughout Australia since 2007, and in Queensland since October 2005.

“As frontline health professionals, pharmacists see firsthand the devastating effects of the drug ‘P’ on New Zealand communities. Pharmacists want to play their part in curbing the abuse of this horrendous drug,” says Guild Chief Executive, Annabel Young.

Pseudoephedrine is the key ingredient of many common products used to treat the symptoms of colds and flu. It can also be used as an ingredient to make the illegal drug “P”. Project STOP makes it extremely difficult for ‘pseudo –runners’ - people that travel from pharmacy to pharmacy accumulating enough pseudoephedrine-based products to manufacture a significant quantity of “P”- to elude the authorities.

“The majority of customers wanting these products are using them for legitimate reasons and we would like them to be able to continue doing so. Project STOP will give pharmacists the ability to sell these medicines with confidence. The New Zealand police can then focus their attention on the other sources making ‘P’, such as the Contact NT imported from China,” says Ms Young.

Once implemented Project STOP can also be used to monitor sales of other drugs and has been used to track sales of Tamiflu in Queensland during the recent Influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic. It could also be used to track sales of other medicines that have the potential for abuse, such as codeine. This would greatly assist pharmacists in making informed decisions about supplying these drugs.

ENDS

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