PSNZ Media Statement on The Government’s Action Plan to Fight Methamphetamine

The Pharmaceutical Society (the Society) supports many of the measures announced today by the Prime Minister that the Government will implement to combat methamphetamine abuse in New Zealand.

The Society is the professional association representing over 3,000 pharmacists from all sectors of practice. Pharmacists are very well aware of the problems brought on by the abuse of pseudoephedrine and its conversion to ‘P’, and acknowledge that a multi-pronged approach is the best way to deal with this serious menace to families and society. Pharmacists have already been playing their part in endeavouring to restrict the supply of pseudoephedrine-containing medicines to those with a genuine therapeutic need – and yet the problem of methamphetamine has continued.

Additional controls announced today over the sale of pseudoephedrine are to change its availability from pharmacy to prescription-only. The Society is disappointed that its alternative recommendation – for pharmacists to implement a specific programme to monitor all sales of pseudoephedrine medicines (known as Project STOP in Australia which has resulted in significant reduction in diversion for illegitimate purposes) – was not tried first before making the decision to go down the prescription route. Pharmacists are concerned that this will merely pass the supply problem to a different health practitioner group, not to mention the difficulties for people in genuine need having to arrange doctors’ visits to obtain prescriptions.

The Society, on behalf of its members, will work with government agencies to ensure the smooth implementation of the new methamphetamine control policies so that the public and pharmacists are least disadvantaged regarding restrictions around the supply of pseudoephedrine for genuine need.

8 October 2009

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