asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the introduction of an area registration scheme for general practitioners who would practise in the relevant areas in order to facilitate the fight against drug addiction and forged prescriptions bearing in mind that there is no up-to-date register available for immediate consultation by pharmacists.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Drug Addiction.
5.
I am not quite clear as to the proposals in the question but I presume that the Deputy has in mind the establishment of and circulation to pharmacists of registers of medical practitioners on an area basis; and that doctors would practise only in the respective areas for which they are registered.
As the Deputy will be aware, the regulations made under the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1934, and the Medical Preparations (Control of Sale) Regulations, 1966, require that a prescription be in writing, and be signed and dated and bear the address of the doctor, dentist or veterinary surgeon issuing the prescription. It must also bear the name and address of a person to whom it is issued.
With such information available to him, it seems to me that a pharmacist should be in a position to have a check made without undue difficulty on the bona fides of any prescription, should he consider it necessary.
I know that some difficulties exist regarding forged prescriptions, but I am not aware that such forgeries play a major part in the matter of drug abuse. It is hoped that forthcoming legislation will improve the position in regard to the prosecution of such offences.
While I welcome any suggestion which would assist in combating drug abuse, I do not consider that the arrangements put forward by the Deputy, as I have interpreted them, would be practicable.
Is the Minister aware that a circular was recently sent out by Dublin Health Authority to all their medical officers informing them of the importance of keeping prescription pads locked up because of the great increase in the number of forged prescriptions being presented to chemists? There are no lists of registered doctors available to chemists. It is quite feasible for a forger to have his own medical prescription pad printed as there is no list of registered doctors available to the printers. Would the Minister, as a matter of urgency, see that some form of legislation curtailing the availability of these prescriptions is introduced?
I am not aware that the position is as serious as the Deputy indicates. I have asked the working party dealing with dangerous drugs to look into this and other matters before they present their final report to me.
6.
asked the Minister for Health if he intends to introduce legislation to control the sale of cough bottles which contain minute amounts of morphine in therapeutic doses but which when consumed in large quantities as has been the practice with drug addicts, have an effect other than the desired therapeutic effect.
Under existing statutory controls cough bottles containing morphine, even in minute quantities, can only be sold by persons authorised under the Pharmacy Acts 1875 to 1962, e.g. pharmaceutical chemists etc. I am not satisfied that the misuse of these preparations for the purposes stated by the Deputy is such that I would be justified in imposing further statutory controls on their sales, such as making them available only on prescription.
I think that the judgment and responsibility of authorised persons can be relied on to prevent any significant abuse of such preparations.
Is the Minister aware that morphine in minute quantities in cough bottles is being consumed in large quantities, for effects other than therapeutic, in order to obtain the morphine extracts? This source of morphine is readily available despite the new legislation which the Minister has brought in.
The working party on dangerous drugs has a far better means of acquiring information on this matter than either the Deputy or I have. This particular abuse has not been brought to their notice as one of any significance. I have no doubt that, if people will give evidence that it is, they will investigate any evidence put before them.
Why should this matter be looked into? If I understand Deputy Dr. Byrne correctly, he is suggesting that in order to get a cough bottle one should have to go and get a prescription first. This will mean that, instead of just buying a cough bottle at the chemist's for a few shillings, one will have to pay a doctor's fee as well.
The dangerous drugs committee have asked for all the evidence they can get on these abuses. They have received evidence about certain of them, the result of which has been the changes which have taken place, including the steps I have taken in section 76 of the Health Act, and the removal of some 30 amphetamine drugs from chemists. I have taken all the advice they have given me, but in order to take extreme action, such as making commonly used cough medicine available only by prescription, I would need evidence. If people have evidence of any abuse they should present it to this committee.
Would the Minister not agree that if a list of drug addicts was circulated to medical practitioners they would be in a better position to decide, when prescribing drugs like morphine, whether it would be dangerous to the patient? Will the Minister not reconsider the whole matter?
All these matters are being considered.
I am calling Question No. 7. We cannot discuss this question all evening.
Does the Minister not think it ineffective to have legislation inhibiting the sale of morphine in quantities when there is legislation making morphine available in small quantities to the public?
This is a matter for the Pharmaceutical Society. If a member of the Pharmaceutical Society sees large numbers of bottles of cough medicine being sold to the same person, in order, by drinking a great deal of the mixture, to indulge in morphine to an excessive degree, it is his duty, if he has the evidence that Deputy Dr. Byrne has, to present it immediately to the working party on dangerous drugs. The Deputy well knows that.