Nova: Czech Health Ministry plans to give pharmacists new powers

The Czech Health Ministry and the national medical association are planning to re-evaluate the way that medicines are sold in Czech pharmacies, reported TV Nova on Tuesday. Currently, medicines are available either directly over the counter, or with a prescription from a doctor. The Health Ministry would like to give chemists themselves increased powers, so as to cut down on the quantity of over-the-counter medications being used in the production of illegal drugs like pervitine.

According to the new proposals, chemists will be able to ask for ID when selling painkillers, and a note will be kept of who buys what. Experts suspect that around 90% of the pervitine produced in the Czech Republic is cooked-up using readily available non-prescription drugs.