(Stephanie Taylor/ Canadian Press) — Pharmacists say it’s time for Canada to restrict access to over-the-counter codeine as the country grapples with an opioid crisis.
There have been renewed calls to limit access of low-dose codeine products — including Tylenol 1 and their generic counterparts — since a pharmacy in Saskatchewan was disciplined for failing to understand how the drug can be abused.
Codeine is an opiate used as a painkiller and to treat coughs but can be misused.
In most of Canada, codeine comes in eight-milligram pills, mixed with two other ingredients, that can be purchased without a prescription.
Saskatchewan’s College of Pharmacy Professionals recently released details of 15 charges against Dewdney Drugs, a store in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood. The pharmacy has since closed. (…)