Six-mouth ban put on Dunedin chemist

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 6

Six-mouth ban put on Dunedin chemist

PA Wellington A Dunedin chemist has been banned from practising for six months after supplying medicines without prescriptions, for sick animals, the “N.Z. Pharmacy” magazine reports. Graham C. Reid, of the Golden Centre Pharmacy, who said he supplied prescription poisons to farmers in emergencies, has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the Pharmaceutical Society’s disciplinary committee. Reid faced seven charges involving breaches of the Poisons Regulations between August, 1980, and March, 1982. The charges followed a

complaint by the Health Department about Reid’s conduct. Five of the charges related to the dispensing of medication without a prescription from a veterinary surgeon and two charges related to a failure to enter records of the sales in a sale of poisons book. All the charges related to medication for animal treatment, and a large number of sales were involved. Reid admitted the charges but said he understood he was acting within the regulations when he supplied medication to farmers in emergency situations. However, he confirmed that a careful reading of the regulations would have

shown that this could only' apply to emergency treatment of humans. At the hearing Reid complained that while pharma-; cists were not allowed to supply prescription-only; medicines to farmers, the same medicines were being supplied from "veterinary; shops” on the diagnosis of farmers without the animals being seen by a veterinary surgeon. This allegation is being investigated by the Health Department. Reid was suspended from practice for six months and was ordered to pay $lOOO towards the costs of the inquiry.