Capital Chemist pharmacies are participating in Project STOP, a national initiative to stop ‘pseudo runners’, those who travel from pharmacy to pharmacy to source large quantities of over the counter flu and cold preparations containing pseudoephedrine, and prevent the manufacture of methamphetamine in Australia.
For the system to work, a pharmacist will need to ask you for photographic identification when you request a pseudoephedrine-based product.
Project STOP operates in the following way:
Upon requesting a pseudoephedrine-based product, your pharmacist asks to see an acceptable form of photographic identification (see below).
Your pharmacist records youridentification card number in a protected database held and operated by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
Your pharmacist also records the name of the product and the quantity you have requested in the database.
The databasechecks to see if your identification number was previously entered into the database within an appropriate threshold period.
The pharmacist decides whether or not to supply the product based on a determination of your therapeutic needs.
The database records whether or not the sale was made.
In some states and territories it is a legal requirement for pharmacists to record your name and address when supplying pseudoephedrine. Your pharmacist will only request this extra information if required by law.
Forms of photographic identification that are acceptable for the purposes of Project STOP include:
a State or Territory issued driver’s license
a State or Territory issued Proof of Age card
any other State or Territory assigned form of photographic identification.
Use of an Australian Government issued form of identification (such as an Australian Passport or Medicare card) is expressly forbidden by the Privacy Act (under National Privacy Principle 7).
A number of alternative medications suitable for many cold and flu symptoms are available without having to provide your identification. Please ask your Capital Chemist pharmacist for further details.
For more information on Project STOP please visit:
