Rough Start to New Ontario System for Prescribing and Dispensing Narcotics

Abstract

Pharmacists in Ontario are now legally required to ask patients for identification and record personal information when dispensing narcotics and other controlled substances; however, the rollout of this new regime to curb medication abuse has not been a smooth one. The new requirements under Ontario's Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, 2010, came into effect November 1, 2011. They also require physicians and dentists to ask for appropriate ID when prescribing controlled medications and the patient must show the same piece of ID to the pharmacist when filling the prescription. The goal of the legislation is a good one, says Ontario Pharmacists' Association (OPA) executive director Dennis Darby, but the implementation has been difficult — in part because the logistics associated with following the rules haven't been completely ironed out. The OPA has been flooded with questions from pharmacists about how to make the rules work and the provincial government doesn't yet have all the answers. “Everyone is going through growing pains,” Mr. Darby says. “People are still struggling with some of the issues about patient identification, such as what is required when family members pick up medications or when drugs are delivered. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of promotion of the rules by the government.” The lack of promotion has meant that some patients have balked at the ID requirements, he says. Meanwhile, the OPA is holding discussions with the government and with the other professional associations in an effort to confirm all the scenarios, particularly for deliveries or when a delegate picks up the drugs.