Page 916 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 17 June 1992
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The second thing is the question of intent. There is clearly no intent on the part of Mrs Carnell to seek personal gain in putting forward this amendment to the law. What she is trying to do is to facilitate the actions of the Government in putting in place a methadone program. Nobody can interpret that as meaning that some kind of personal gain is likely to flow from it. I think these points need to be borne in mind. I suggest, Madam Speaker, that it is reasonable that those arguments be put on the record, lest people reading the Hansard at some future time accept Mr Berry's proposition that there was something improper in what Mrs Carnell is doing. It needs to be on the record, and I thank the members for allowing me to put it there.
MRS CARNELL (10.39): I present the Drugs of Dependence (Amendment) Bill 1992.
Title read by Clerk.
Mr Berry: Madam Speaker, I move that this Bill be discharged.
MADAM SPEAKER: Because Mrs Carnell had the call, Mr Berry, you need leave to move that. Could you seek leave?
MR BERRY: I seek leave.
Leave not granted.
MADAM SPEAKER: The standing order now allows the Assembly to decide whether the Bill constitutes a conflict of interest or not. Mrs Carnell may proceed. It will be up to the Assembly after that.
MRS CARNELL: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
This Bill that I present today overcomes a stumbling block to the expansion of the methadone program in the ACT. The Bill will expand the definition of "treatment centres" under the Drugs of Dependence Act to include the premises of a pharmacy, "pharmacist" being already defined in the Act. My intention is that this change will remove legal obstacles and signal to community pharmacists that they are welcome to put forward their applications to be approved as treatment centres. This would allow a general practitioner, with the written approval of the medical officer of health, to prescribe methadone and have the methadone dispensed in a community pharmacy. It would also allow stabilised methadone addicts from the Woden Valley Hospital program to collect their daily doses from an approved pharmacy close to their home or place of employment.
I think it is important to note that community pharmacies will still have to meet the requirements of the Drugs of Dependence Act and seek approval as treatment centres. This is not an invitation for indiscriminate distribution of methadone through all pharmacies. It should not be too difficult for pharmacies to meet conditions of approval. Pharmacies, for the most part, are a cost-efficient network to supply methadone, are highly regulated, are secure and controlled, and almost no corruption can take place in pharmacies due to the regulations that
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