EX-ADDICTS LEFT HIGH AND DRY

The biggest supplier of a drug used to help heroin addicts kick the
habit has been withdrawn from the Community Program for Opioid
Pharmacotherapy after failing to comply with the Poisons Act.

Victoria Park Pharmacy, which supplied up to 250 clients, agreed to
withdraw from the program after the Health Department uncovered
ongoing problems with record-keeping, tracking and accounts for
tablets supplied to the pharmacy.

In a ministerial statement to Parliament this week, Health Minister
Jim McGinty said prosectuion was considered but there was "no public
benefit in taking this approach if corrective action could be achieved
through other means".

"The ongoing success of this program is dependent on ensuring that
these drugs are supplied in a safe and responsible manner," he said.

"It is not acceptable for the (Health) Department to allow any
practice that contravenes the Poisons Act."

Pharmacist John Guilfoyle blamed the record-keeping problems on a
faulty computer program and denied any criminal wrongdoing.

He was concerned some of his former clients might now fall out of the
program.

Mr Guilfoyle has dispensed methadone through the program since 1983
and buprenorphine for about two years and was part of its pilot program.

It is understood about 60 former addicts were left without a supplier
yesterday, the first day the program was stopped at the pharmacy.

The West Australian yesterday spoke to former addicts, who were
concerned about the handling of the closure and the impact it would
have.

One woman, who did not want to be named, had been on the program for
18 months and had arranged to transfer her prescription for
buprenorphine to another pharmacy but at the last minute, the pharmacy
had refused to accept her because it was overwhelmed by other people
from the program.

She was not able to access her dose of the drug yesterday and faced a
long weekend of withdrawal until she could see her doctor on Monday to
arrange another prescription for another pharmacy.

A petition was presented to Mr McGinty calling for the pharmacy to
continue the program, but he said it was in the best interests of the
program for the pharmacy to stop its involvement.

Health Department chief pharmacist Murray Patterson said clients who
needed to access the drugs should contact the Alcohol and Drug
Information Service on 9442 5000.