Calgary Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, representing 29.5% of the total provincial population (2,974,807). Calgary's industrial base consists of energy, advanced technology, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. The city is the administrative headquarters for the Canadian oil and gas industry. In 2001, the median age of Calgary residents was 34.9 years, and more than one quarter (26.5% ) were under 20 years of age. The labour force participation rate in Calgary is 75.2 %, which is slightly higher than the provincial rate (73.1%)

"What we're seeing is the application of a solution to a problem that, frankly, we don't have," said Gerry Harrington, director of public affairs at the Non-Prescription Drug Manufacturers Association of Canada.

"We don't believe there should be any retail restrictions on these products."

Pharmacies have been struggling for several years to find a way to deal with the problem. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have already restricted the sales of some of the products to behind the counter.

The new rules apply to all drugs containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Annual sales of these drugs exceed $200-million in Canada.

Products that contain these elements as a single ingredient will be sold only behind the counter at pharmacies.

Among the 17 products affected are Sudafed Decongestant 12-hour caplets and non-drowsy Contac Cold 12-hour.

All cold, cough and allergy medications that contain multiple ingredients including ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will be sold only in pharmacies.

This category includes hundreds of products, such as big sellers like Benylin, Tylenol Cold, Triaminic and Claritin Sinus.

Gary Sands, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, said the decision to pull the products from only some stores makes no sense. "If these products are really a problem, then why not put them all behind the counter? I just don't understand why you won't be able to buy cold and cough remedies in the grocery store but you will be able to buy them off the shelf in the pharmacy."

Mr. Sands said while urban dwellers will simply have to shop elsewhere for their cold and allergy medications, those in rural and northern communities -- where pharmacies are harder to find -- will be most affected by the new regulations.

Crystal meth -- which is also known as speed or crank -- can be easily manufactured with a combination of fertilizer, cold medication and sometimes products that contain ephedrine and are sold in health food stores.

In Canada, most crystal meth is manufactured in large labs controlled by biker gangs, who divert large quantities of the active ingredients from drug companies.

In the United States, where commercial supplies have been choked off, it is much more common to find home labs that make speed in small quantities using cold and allergy medications bought or stolen from retail stores.

Mr. Harrington said that only three dozen home meth labs were found in Canada in the past five years. The number for the United States in that period is 10,000.

"This is a knee-jerk response to an American problem," he said. But he said what was most concerning was the precedent of NAPRA -- a group whose primary concern is supposed to be the pharmacological safety of drugs -- wading into law enforcement and losing sight of the fact that the vast majority of consumers use these drugs responsibly and legitimately.

"Dealing with the serious problem of crystal meth requires an understanding of criminal behaviour patterns and black market economics, areas where this committee has no expertise," Mr. Harrington said.

Mr. Potvin of NAPRA acknowledged that this is "not the usual application of our drug schedule," but said it was legitimate for regulators to be concerned about the potential for drugs to be abused and take counter measures.

He added that while home crystal meth labs may not be common in Canada, regulators can and should be proactive. "This is a preventive measure but it still allows the public broad access to these very effective products," Mr. Potvin said.

sources : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060118.wxcold18/BNStory/Nationall