3 Vancouver pharmacists ordered not to provide 'safe supply' pending investigation outcome

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 8:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Three Vancouver pharmacists person been ordered not to supply patients "safe supply" medications pending the result of an probe prompted by complaints astir the proviso of opioid attraction services astatine a brace of East Vancouver pharmacies.

B.C.'s College of Pharmacists took the bonzer measurement of announcing interim measures against Charanjit Pal, Jennifer Van Bui and Mamteshwari Ravnita Latchman this week. In a related case, the regulator besides announced the suspension of a 4th pharmacist — Karandeep Singh Chohan.

Chohan — whose suspension is acceptable to statesman May 27 — is the erstwhile manager of Fraser Outreach Pharmacy, wherever Bui and Latchman worked arsenic unit pharmacists. Pal — whose suspension begins May 12 — is the manager of Fraser Neighbourhood Pharmacy, a fewer blocks away.

The assemblage claims health-care providers voiced concerns past outpouring astir the pharmacies' handling of Opioid Agonist Treatment — the usage of medications similar methadone to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms.

The complaints allegedly prompted on-site inspections astatine some pharmacies.

According to the college, the allegations subordinate to "narcotic inventory power and management, medicine checking requirements, PharmaNet grounds keeping, diligent consultations, supervision of non-pharmacist staff, and compliance with ethical standards."

In a statement, assemblage registrar and CEO Suzanne Solven noted that the probe is not implicit and disciplinary proceedings person yet to happen.

"Our work is to marque definite pharmacy attraction successful B.C. is harmless and ethical and we instrumentality this mandate highly seriously," she said.

"In this lawsuit the preliminary grounds and the allegations are truthful superior that the Inquiry Committee decided the bonzer measurement of interim actions were indispensable to support the nationalist portion the probe is underway."

Order challenged successful B.C. Supreme Court

None of the allegations against immoderate of the pharmacists named by the assemblage person been proven, and the 2 unit pharmacists — Bui and Latchman — filed petitions successful B.C. Supreme Court Thursday seeking to overturn the interim measures against them.

According to tribunal documents, some of the pharmacists privation an bid quashing the determination to enforce conditions connected their registration arsenic they assertion the college's pharmacy inspections were done without due statutory authority.

The interim restrictions follow widespread interest successful B.C. about the administration of the province's harmless proviso program — which provides patients addicted to opioids a prescribed alternative..

Critics person complained astir the diversion of harmless proviso drugs into the toxic cause supply, allegations the state denied until leaked Ministry of Health slides showed officials believed a important information of the medicine pills were being trafficked nationally and internationally.

Last February, the state overhauled the program, forcing harmless proviso users to instrumentality their medicine nether the supervision of a pharmacist oregon health-care provider.

The CBC has besides reported extensively connected concerns about pharmacies successful Vancouver's Downtown Eastside paying customers a stock of the money they assertion from B.C.'s PharmaCare program.

In 2013, the assemblage established nonrecreational signifier standards to prohibit pharmacists from providing incentives to patients, a decision upheld by the B.C. Court of Appeal successful 2016.

WATCH | Take-home harmless proviso nary longer allowed successful B.C.:

Investigated for 'similar concerns'

In summation to being ordered not to "provide immoderate services related to 'safe supply' successful immoderate signifier oregon capacity," Bui, Latchman and Pal are ordered not to supply "any Opioid Agonist Treatment services successful immoderate signifier oregon capacity."

In affidavits filed successful the B.C. Supreme Court, Latchman said she started moving astatine Fraser Outreach Pharmacy successful May 2023, portion Bui said she started moving successful June 2023.

Both pharmacists assertion inspectors from the assemblage observed them moving successful May 2024 and asked questions regarding their signifier arsenic pharmacists. They said they were not contiguous for a 2nd inspection successful August 2024.

Neither said they were alert of immoderate ceremonial ailment against them.

The assemblage says Chohan was investigated "for akin concerns connected 5 erstwhile occasions betwixt 2016 and 2023," and Pal was investigated "for akin concerns astatine a antithetic pharmacy successful 2021."

On Friday, the Fraser Neighbourhood Pharmacy was closed. A motion connected the doorway said the concern was only unfastened fractional an hr a week due to the fact that of unit shortages.

A pharmacy with a somewhat antithetic sanction present operates retired of the portion wherever the Fraser Outreach Pharmacy utilized to beryllium located.

A antheral who claimed to beryllium the caller proprietor of the concern called CBC to accidental helium bought the pharmacy from the aged owners a week agone and was told thing astir the allegations.