Poor prescribing ‘leading to black market sale of drugs’

POOR prescribing practice among some GPs is leading to the sale of methadone and benzodiazepines on the black market, according to a leading drugs treatment doctor.

The ease of robbing and copying private practice prescriptions remains a major problem, according to Dr Pat Troy, who works in drug clinics in Ballyfermot and St Steeven's Hospital in Dublin, and St Dympna's Drug Treatment Clinic in Carlow.

It meant addicts could easily visit 10 different pharmacies in the absence of a national IT system to monitor private scripts, he said.