Opiate-addicted pharmacist used photocopies of prescriptions to obtain drugs

Man had used photocopies of prescriptions from a GP to obtain quantities of opiates, painkillers and sleeping tablets 'greatly in excess' of what is permitted over a 12-month period, court heard

Man, who cannot be named due to his medical condition, had his registration as a pharmacist cancelled by the president of the High Court. Picture: Denis Minihane

A pharmacist who was addicted to opiates used photocopies of prescriptions to obtain drugs for himself "greatly in excess" of what is permitted, the High Court had heard.

The man, who cannot be named due to his medical condition, had his registration as a pharmacist cancelled by the president of the High Court, Mr Justice David Barniville. It followed an application to the judge to confirm a decision of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) last December.