Victoria – The question will be, will it make a difference?
New legislation is now in place to support B.C.’s actions to prevent the illegal production of illicit opioids, bolstering police efforts to disrupt the supply chain and helping to get counterfeit pills off the streets. The Pill Press and Related Equipment Control Act and the associated Pill Press and Related Equipment Control Regulation will come into force on January 15, 2019. The act is comprehensive legislation that will limit the ownership, possession and use of manufacturing equipment for pills and capsules to those with a legitimate business or professional purpose.
The regulation sets out the information that authorized owners, including registered sellers, must provide in events such as the acquisition, sale, loss or theft of controlled equipment and will update a database of equipment possessed by legitimate owners and businesses. This will enable tracing and random inspections.
It also will provide a process that authorized owners must follow if their licence to manufacture drugs or natural health products is suspended or cancelled by Health Canada.
B.C.’s pill press legislation is more comprehensive than what was introduced by Alberta and the federal government in 2016.
If you intend to or currently own, use, possess, rent or lease, or sell controlled equipment, starting January 15, 2019, you will be able to register your equipment on the Province’s new website: gov.bc.ca/pill-press
