Who needs experts when we've got EXPERTS?

Here are excerpts from an article in today's National Post:

An expert advisory committee has urged that the single-dose version of Plan B be available off the shelf at pharmacies, without women having to consult a pharmacist first. The recommendation would mean people could buy emergency contraceptives much the way they can Aspirin or vitamins.
A women's group has applauded the recommendation as a way to increase access to the [morning after] pill, but pharmacists are objecting, saying Plan B customers would miss out on the invaluable information and advice druggists currently provide.
[Janet Cooper of the Canadian Pharmacist's Association] said pharmacists now counsel Plan B consumers on obtaining regular contraceptives and practicing safe sex and sometimes refer them to sexual health clinics. Pharmacists also find that about a third of potential customers do not need the pill because their regular birth control would have protected them, or they are too late for it to work, Ms. Cooper said.
Others, though, say easier access would get the pill to more women who need it. Advocacy groups have long complained that some pharmacists are effectively scaring off women by asking overly intimate questions of Plan B buyers.
[Dr. Judith Soon of the University of British Columbia] said there is no evidence yet that requiring a woman to talk to a pharmacist before buying the pill does, in fact, deter some from taking advantage of the drug. [...] In fact, the most important benefit of Plan B may be in introducing women to the health-care system, she said. No research has yet shown the pill reduces the number of abortion or teen pregnancies, as advocates have long hoped...

The "expert advisory committee" in question is the National Drug Scheduling Advisory committee, which recommended the change of rules for Plan B to the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (who make the final decision regarding how drugs are sold in pharmacies) after an application from Paladin Labs Inc., who manufactures the drug. It's not exactly a well-kept secret that pharmaceutical companies don't generally push for less restrictions on access out of concern for their clients. Case in point, the assorted manufacturers of AIDS medications who continue to influence more restrictions on their products, which have led to a disastrous lack of access to medicine in Africa and assorted third-world nations. Increased access for third-world clients doesn't equal more profits; increased access for Canadian clients does. So I'm not inclined to believe the best of Paladin Labs' motives for application.

As well, it just seems like common sense that users of a potent drug, especially a hormonal drug, should be required to speak to a pharmacist before using it. Ms. Cooper and Dr. Soon, quoted in the article above, are absolutely right to be concerned that unrestricted access to Plan B is in no way in women's best interests. Sure, it increases the feeling of freedom, and no one likes the discomfort of discussing intimate medical matters with a pharmacist (or anyone, really), but common sense says that unfettered access to potent hormonal medications, especially when the patient is at risk for an underlying sexual disease, is not going to be beneficial for women's health. It's asking for more women, especially young ones, to drift further under the radar as they become free from advice and referrals to sexual health clinics and counseling, and taking morning-after contraceptives too late, as many users have tried to, can be detrimental to the woman's health and disastrous for the fetus.

Silly, silly, silly.

In other silly news, Edmonton is full of snow. Boy, am I not looking forward to moving. One thing about southern Ontario doesn't suck: snow isn't much of an issue here. Especially not at the end of April.