Phuket Pharmacy Fined For Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs

[webfact]

Phuket Pharmacy fined for illegally selling prescription drugs

Phuket Gazette

Prapan Kanprasang, chief of the Damrongtham Center (in uniform) confirmed that the Chalong pharmacy was selling prescription drugs when a pharmacist was not present. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- A pharmacy in Chalong faced a lot of brass yesterday as Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak, Damrongtham Center (Ombudsman’s Office) chief Prapan Kanprasang, Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol and Phuket Public Health officers followed up on allegations that the store was illegally selling prescription drugs without a pharmacist on duty.

newsjs

“A local resident told our staff that the pharmacy was selling drugs that are on the Ministry of Public Health’s ‘Dangerous Drugs’ list when a pharmacist was not present,” said V/Gov Somkiat.

“Only a pharmacist can sell these drugs,” Mr Prapan explained.

The registered pharmacist for the facility is only on duty from 5pm to 8pm daily, Mr Prapan said.

“The rest of the day, staff who are not certified to sell the drugs were selling them,” he added.

The pharmacy was fined.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...rugs-20203.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-02-12

[NomadJoe]

Apart from big chains like Boots and the in-hospital pharmacies, all pharmacies on Phuket sell most prescription drugs without a prescription. It looks like that isn't changing as long as there is pharmacist on duty. That didn't help the 17 year old Kiwi that got arrest with several tablets of diazepam a couple years ago. I remember years ago seeing a young Swedish kid stumbling around Kata every night strung out on valium 24/7. The guy started to look like walking death. I was there when one pharmacist finally cut him off. The ironic thing is the one drug I often need here as a diver is pseudoephedrine. It is available over the counter from any pharmacy in the states, but is almost impossible to get here because it is so easily used to make methamphetamine. The alternatives, such as HCI, do not work very well.

Here is the story of the 17 year old Kiwi arrested for possession of diazapham.

http://www.phuketgaz...rticle8252.html

"High Ranking" Phuket Public Health Official:

[Our] department permit pharmacies to sell the drugs, but only in "small" amounts.

“It is illegal to possess prescription drugs without a prescription, but in Phuket we’re not so strict as this is a tourist place,” he said. “We grant permission to pharmacies to sell the drugs, but they need to report to the PPHO first.”

So in true TIT fashion, the health department allows the illegal sale, but the buyer, not the seller, can still be arrested!

Edited February 12, 2013 by NomadJoe

[JetsetBkk]

What a waste of human endeavour. So many other things wrong with this island and all these big knobs get involved in chasing down one pharmacy selling prescription drugs as if that's going to make a difference to what's going on everywhere else.

This is just like the crushing of fake DVDs - just for show,

Why don't they get on and do something useful?

[NomadJoe]

^ There are much bigger problems, but these are just a few people from the Phuket Health Office.. Not a real big endeavor actually. Your comments are better directed at the police who arrest the tourists that possess prescription drugs bought over the counter in Phuket with no prescriptions.

I have prescriptions for a couple meds from back home. Here I don't need a prescription, and the meds are 1/50th the price, so I stock up before I go home. This means a trip to the hospital where I need to explain to the doctor that I need a prescription for these no-prescription-needed-in-Thailand meds for when I fly home. It seemed like a simple enough thing, but of course this being Thailand it became incredibly complicated. They keep trying to tell me "no need". I finally got them to give me a letter signed by the doctor.

[hansgruber]

Go raid the other 5000 pharmacies that do the same thing on Phuket.

Obviously they didn't pay their kickbacks and were only ones targeted.

[NamKangMan]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the phamacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

Edited February 12, 2013 by NamKangMan

[stevenl]

Apart from big chains like Boots and the in-hospital pharmacies, all pharmacies on Phuket sell most prescription drugs without a prescription.

This happens all over Thailand.

A pharmacist living in Bangkok and working for a big pharmaceutical company told me that all pharmacists there sell their licenses to be used in pharmacies all over the country. In most places they earn 5,000 Baht a month for that, but here 10,000 Baht.

So in most pharmacies country wide there is hardly ever a pharmacist present.

[NamKangMan]

Apart from big chains like Boots and the in-hospital pharmacies, all pharmacies on Phuket sell most prescription drugs without a prescription.

This happens all over Thailand.

A pharmacist living in Bangkok and working for a big pharmaceutical company told me that all pharmacists there sell their licenses to be used in pharmacies all over the country. In most places they earn 5,000 Baht a month for that, but here 10,000 Baht.

So in most pharmacies country wide there is hardly ever a pharmacist present.

How many licences can one pharmacist hold at any one time? They can only be in one pharmacy at one given time.

[NomadJoe]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the pharacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way. As is common in Thailand, the police have chosen which laws to enforce and here they have chosen to only enforce it if the clerk is not a pharmacist. Just like the helmet law which has been on the book for 20 years, even for passengers. But in most areas the helmet law is only recently being enforced on passengers. Read the link I provided. It makes it a little clearer on the situation with pharmacies in Phuket.

Edited February 12, 2013 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

Apart from big chains like Boots and the in-hospital pharmacies, all pharmacies on Phuket sell most prescription drugs without a prescription.

This happens all over Thailand.

Yeah, I just mention Phuket because of the link I provided with the quote from the high ranking official on the Phuket PHO.

A pharmacist living in Bangkok and working for a big pharmaceutical company told me that all pharmacists there sell their licenses to be used in pharmacies all over the country. In most places they earn 5,000 Baht a month for that, but here 10,000 Baht.

So in most pharmacies country wide there is hardly ever a pharmacist present.

Kinda sounds like course directors.

Edited February 12, 2013 by NomadJoe

[iSabai]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the pharacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way. As is common in Thailand, the police have chosen which laws to enforce and here they have chosen to only enforce it if the clerk is not a pharmacist. Just like the helmet law which has been on the book for 20 years, even for passengers. But in most areas the helmet law is only recently being enforced on passengers. Read the link I provided. It makes it a little clearer on the situation with pharmacies in Phuket.

I do notice fewer people doing the helmet thing lately too, as that crackdown has worn off some.

Oh and just to stay on topic, some of them may have been pharmacists.

Edited February 12, 2013 by iSabai

[NamKangMan]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the pharacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way. As is common in Thailand, the police have chosen which laws to enforce and here they have chosen to only enforce it if the clerk is not a pharmacist. Just like the helmet law which has been on the book for 20 years, even for passengers. But in most areas the helmet law is only recently being enforced on passengers. Read the link I provided. It makes it a little clearer on the situation with pharmacies in Phuket.

Antibiotics are prescription only in my home country. Are you saying I can be arrested for possession of antibiotics because I do not have a prescription from a Thai doctor?

This part of your post confuses me a little.

"The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way."

If I do have a prescription, how can it still be illegal?

[stevenl]

If I do have a prescription, how can it still be illegal?

If you have a prescription it is not illegal. Joe also did not say that, he said "The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal"

[fire and ice]

Apart from big chains like Boots and the in-hospital pharmacies, all pharmacies on Phuket sell most prescription drugs without a prescription.

This happens all over Thailand.

A pharmacist living in Bangkok and working for a big pharmaceutical company told me that all pharmacists there sell their licenses to be used in pharmacies all over the country. In most places they earn 5,000 Baht a month for that, but here 10,000 Baht.

So in most pharmacies country wide there is hardly ever a pharmacist present.

How many licences can one pharmacist hold at any one time? They can only be in one pharmacy at one given time.

I presume a pharmacy business licence merely reuqres having a quailiied pharmacit (whcih could be an empoyee of the licensee) on site to dispense the drugs.

But I am quite shocked here, I thought there was no such thing as a prescription in Thailand and that any 'serious' meidcation had to be dispeansed by a hospital ? (well perhaps by an in-house prescription but still at the hospital?).

[NamKangMan]

If I do have a prescription, how can it still be illegal?

If you have a prescription it is not illegal. Joe also did not say that, he said "The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal"

Ok, so, can I be sold prescription drugs, if I have a prescription, by a retail assistant? That is, a person who is working at the pharmacy who is not a qualified pharmacist?

[NomadJoe]

If I do have a prescription, how can it still be illegal?

If you have a prescription it is not illegal. Joe also did not say that, he said "The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal"

Ok, so, can I be sold prescription drugs, if I have a prescription, by a retail assistant? That is, a person who is working at the pharmacy who is not a qualified pharmacist?

You are not committing a crime. The person that is not a licensed pharmacist is.

[how241]

What a waste of human endeavour. So many other things wrong with this island and all these big knobs get involved in chasing down one pharmacy selling prescription drugs as if that's going to make a difference to what's going on everywhere else.

This is just like the crushing of fake DVDs - just for show,

Why don't they get on and do something useful?

+1

[NomadJoe]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the pharacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way. As is common in Thailand, the police have chosen which laws to enforce and here they have chosen to only enforce it if the clerk is not a pharmacist. Just like the helmet law which has been on the book for 20 years, even for passengers. But in most areas the helmet law is only recently being enforced on passengers. Read the link I provided. It makes it a little clearer on the situation with pharmacies in Phuket.

Antibiotics are prescription only in my home country. Are you saying I can be arrested for possession of antibiotics because I do not have a prescription from a Thai doctor?

This part of your post confuses me a little.

"The sale of prescription medication to a person without a prescription is illegal whether the person selling it is a licensed pharmacist or not. For the purchaser it makes no difference, possession is equally illegal either way."

If I do have a prescription, how can it still be illegal?

I will clarify, "For the purchaser it makes no difference, without a prescription possession is equally illegal either way."

[Gonsalviz]

How is someone supposed to know if the person behind the counter is a qualified pharmacist, or just a retail assistant????

If you buy a prescription drug from the pharmacist, that fine. If you buy the same drug from a retail assistant, whilst the phamacist is out to lunch, that's illegal.

It's not TIT (This is Thailand) - It's TIP (This Is Phuket).

The people running this island just make up their own rules as they go along, or when they want more money.

It is not difficult to tell as if you as a retail assistant you will get a blank look.

[LivinginKata]

A 'baiting' post and the 2 replies removed.

[mikebike]

...pseudoephedrine. It is available over the counter from any pharmacy in the states...

I don't think that is the case. At least a couple of states have it as prescrip only... would be more but the pharma companies spend mucho dinero keeping their profits from meth up!

[NamKangMan]

I've never seen a prescription document from a Thai doctor. Has anyone else ever seen one?

[mufcsamui]

A Thai Pharmasist can legally issue prescriptions all they are required to do by law is complete the details on the prescription bag.