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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-02-24, Page 5Says NDP has. declared war on pharmacies To the editor: With a stroke of a pen, the NDP government of Ontario could end up closing down 20 per cent of the retail pharmacies in the province, creating unemployment for hun- dreds of drug store employees and affecting the delivery of health care to thousands of people. Among the proposals of the. Min- istry of Health's new "Ontario Tobacco Strategy" is a call for a ban of tobacco products from phar- macies. That won't accomplish. anything but threaten the economic viability of hundreds of drugstores. There are some commendable parts of the government's strategy which recognize that tobaccois a hazardous substance. These have the support of the general public and all pharmacies. For example, the government proposes to strengthen regulation of sales to minors and it wants to raise mini- mum age requirements from 18 to 19. These proposed new regulations would apply to all tobacco retailers. But to ban tobacco products from one type of retail establishment to the exclusion of others in an arbit- rary way does not make sense. There are approximately 28,000 retail outlets carrying tobacco prod- ucts in Ontario. Only 1300 are drugstores. Preventing drugstores -- only five per cent of all the outlets selling tobacco in the province -- will not reduce tobacco use. In fact, it could have the opposite effect. It is more likely that, with less super- vision in such locations as conveni- ence stores, gas bars, supermarkets, restaurants and vending machines where tobacco would still be avail- able, consumption could actually increase.. The government's. logic should be questioned -- after all if tobacco is regarded as a harmful product and a dangerous substance, then phar- macists, who are professionally trained and licensed to deal in such matters, should be the only ones allowed to sell the product. How can the government justify the vending machine is more appropri- ate than a pharmacist? Perhaps the reason the NDP gov- ernment has decided to focus on Selection process is underway from page 3 will take place in the near future to consider preliminary plans for the information and consultation pro- cess of the. Steering Committee as proposed by Paul Carroll. The advisors will also meet with the steering committee " following its appointment in early March. Approximately 70 persons from across the county, representing local government, healthcare providers, and consumers have confirmed their willingness to stand as nominees for the steering committee. The selec- tion .process is under way at this time. The Minister of Health, the Honourable Ruth Grier, will con- firm the appointment of the mem- bers to the committee in the next month. In the interim period, information request for meetings, focus groups and similar issue, education func- tions can be arranged by contacting the Chair, Paul Carroll, (Seaforth) as noted in advertisements appear- ing in the county weekly newspa- pers and tabloids. " The purpose of the steering com- mittee is to examine whether Huron County wishes to become part of the District Health Council process which has been established in all other regions of Ontario with the exception of Huron and Perth Counties. A steering committee is also being appointed to address the same questions fot Perth county. TO THE EDITOR pharmacy is symbolic, reasoning that pharmacists, as part of the healthcare system, should not be in the tobacco business. Some pharma- cists have demonstrated that they agree with this position and have VOLUNTARILY removed the product from their shelves. This is entirely appropriate. A decision to carry a legal product should be one made by pro- fessionals who understand the implications for themselves and the people in their care. If government was really interested in the health issue, then it surely should restrict all sales by making tobacco illegal. But it is also known that prohib- ition has not been too successful in the past. So the Government has engaged in what is clearly empty symbolism. But at what cost to the people of Ontario? Preventing the sales of tobacco products in drugstores will, because of the negative economic impact, force many of them to curtail their hours of operation, the services they offer, the staff they employ and the delivery of the front-line health care they provide. Some, particularly the small independent drugstores in rural or outlying areas of Ontario, will simply go out of business. Pharmacists across the province understand the implications. Late last year, the Ontario Pharmacists Association, the organization of all pharmacists in the province, con- ducted a mail survey of its 4000 members -- hospital and industrial pharmacists as well as those work- ing in drugstores. Fifty-eight per cent (2,374) responded and, of these, 63 per cent said that their Association should take the position that its members should have the individual right to decide, on a VOLUNTARY basis, what best suits their particular situation. They want freedom of choice. The Committee of Independent Pharmacists also carried out a sur- ' vey last year. It found that, of the 1300 pharmacy -owners who sell tobacco across the province, 91 per 'cent opposed any government legis- lation., And almost 20 per cent stated hat they would go out of busine: s if tobacco were legislated out of their stores. Many others respon ed that the midnight hours, free ivery and other customer servic. would be eliminated. How is it that pharmacists have come to depend on tobacco for their economic survival? In the same way that governments raise billions of dollars on tobacco taxes, phar- macies also rely on its revenues. Tobacco (sold in pharmacies for more tha" 50 years) has been sig- nificant it helping to generate cus- tomer traffic, which in turn has led to the sale3 of many other drug store products. Today's marketplace is filled with every retailer selling products which were once exclusive domain of drug stores necessitating pharmacies to be as competitive in every category of merchandise as . their competition. Moreover our leases were negotiated based on the sale of tobacco. Consequently to remove a product that contributes revenue, generates traffic and helps pay the rent will be ,an. economic catastrophe. The principal of treating all retailers equally should prevail. And if the government seriously wishes' to have an impact on the health of Ontarians, it should focus on rules that work, including sponsoring campaigns to educate people about not smoking. The safety, protection and education of the consumer has always been part of the credo for the pharmacists. A substance like tobacco should continue to be sold in pharmacies and under the guid- ance and supervision of the pharma- cists, where it can be controlled and where the consumer can be properly educated. Instead of working toward a sol- ution by engaging the pharmacists' professional counsel and assistance, the government has declared war on pharmacy. " Larry Rosen, B. Sc. Phm. Committee of Independent Pharmacists Agrees that task force has a conflict of interest To the editor; _ am writing in response to Nancy McKeon's letter, published in your newspaper Feb, 17. Nancy men- tioned the. Task Group of Abortion Providers,. which was appointed by the, Ontario, NDP. government, and 100 percent 'of whom are abortion service providers. In my opinion, this is comparable to the .govern- ment asking a group of drug addicts to make recommendations on the legalization of marijuana. Talk about a conflict of interest! One of the Groups demands, which the Health Minister has already agreed to act upon, is for a province -wide injunction barring 'pro-life pickets. Why is the NDP picking on pro -lifers? Is it because they're afraid of us? Is it because they know we're right? Why are there huge increases in the health care budget for the killing of unborn babies, at a time when Large cutbacks are being made in the same budget for ordinary, necess- ary, life-sustaining health care ser- vices in Ontario? In 1991 'there were over 40,000 abortions performed in Ontario. Do you think that's restricted? Task Group does. The declining birth rate means that the'population is becoming increasingly older, by proportion. What is going to happen when there are not enough working people to finance the old -age pen- sioners? Will we then need eutha- nasia legalized, to get rid of all the "useless eaters"? If the majority are silent, the vocal minority are going to push this Ihrough. Please contact your MPP, the Minister of Health, and Premier Bob Rae. Exercise your rights - while you still can. Sincerely Jean Hedley Letters should be signed The Lucknow Sentinel welcomes readers views and opinions. " All letters must be signed and include the author's address and telephone number for verification purpos- es. Letters should be topical and are routinely edited for length, style and clarity. Brief letters which make a point have more impact and stand a better chance of inclu- sion. Personal attacks consumer complaints and potentially libelous letters will be rejected. 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