Most feel new codeine rules are correct

Most people agree with the new laws which make it more difficult to get codeine products from pharmacists without a prescription, according to our latest readers' poll.

Since last month, codeine medicines must not be directly accessible to the public on shelves and must be stored in an area of the pharmacy under the pharmacist's direct management and supervision and out of sight to the public.

Customers seeking codeine-containing painkillers without a prescription may now have to answer questions from the pharmacist about, for example, what they need the medication for and whether they really need codeine, and the pharmacist can recommend that the patient take an alternative painkiller.

Some pharmacists have, as a precaution, also been giving customers a smaller amount of codeine tablets than was requested.

The new rules have caused annoyance to some pharmacy customers.

However, according to our latest poll, more than two-thirds of people believe the new restrictions are necessary.

We asked whether they thought it was right that pharmacists should question people before giving them codeine tablets.

Sixthty five per cent of resopondents said yes, 33% said no, while 2% didn't know.

View the poll results and comments and results of previous polls here.

[Posted: Wed 01/09/2010]