Flu pill buyers end up in police files

A prominent Territory solicitor says pharmacists who are providing personal details from people buying over the counter medicines to police could be breaching privacy laws. Solicitor Bill Priestley recently attempted to buy a packet of Sudafed while suffering from the flu and 2 Darwin chemists both asked him for his drivers licence.

"The 1st chemist asked me to show my drivers licence so he could make a photocopy to send to police," Mr Priestley said. "I refused and the chemist refused to sell me the Sudafed. "I then went to a 2nd chemist that also asked for my drivers license and I refused, and after some argument he relented and old me the Sudafed."

Sudafed contains psuedoephedrine, a precursor to the manufacture of amphetamines.

Territory police and the Territory Government deny formal or informal arrangements with chemists to supply customers personal information exist.

But the Sunday Territorian has obtained a letter from the Territory Police Information and Reporting Branch to Mr Preistley stating a memorandum of understanding exists between the Pharmacists Guild, the NT Pharmacy Board, NT Police and the Department of Health and Community Services.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia also has a national code of practice to refuse or limit the sale of medicines containing psuedoephedrine. Pharmaceutical Guild of Australia NT Branch president Ian Marshall said most Darwin pharmacists have signed up to the code of practice that involved obtaining information from people buying medicines with high levels of codeine and passing that information on to police.

"They have signed up to that code." Mr Marshall said. "It requires seeking ID, recording and supplying information from purchasers of these medicines not known to pharmacists.'It is to make sure the drug is used for the purpose it was intended to."

"These young kids come in trying to buy it and it is one of those isues that is for the greater good."

But a Territory police spokesman said that there was no arrangement with pharmacists to collect this information. "Northern Territory Police do not have a policy of collecting drivers licence details from chemists", he said.

But in a letter to Mr Priestley Business Information and Reporting Branch director Garry Lambert said there was in place arrangements for the transfer of information by pharmacies to NT police.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: 15th August 2004
Source: Sunday Territorian
Author: Suellen Hinde
Website: http://www.ntnews.com.au
Email: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Copyright: 2004 Northern Territory News