Leads sought on chloroform theft

Press, 7 September 1984, Page 4

Leads sought on chloroform theft

Detectives are following several lines of inquiry in their hunt for the person who stole a large quantity of chloroform from a Christchurch medical supplier on Monday. The Christchurch drug squad disclosed yesterday that the theft of the chloroform, which it fears might be used for making hard drugs, was even more serious than at first thought. Detective Sergeant Gavin McFagden said that more than 100 litres of chloroform was taken in the raid, about 30 litres more than the original estimate.

He urged people who knew anything about the theft to tell the police. Such information would be treated in strict confidence. ‘

The police would also like to hear from anybody who noticed unusual activitiy near Kempthorne Medical Supplies, 348 Manchester Street, on Monday night. Christchurch drug counsellors and chemists have also expressed concern about the trend toward the

home manufacture of hard drugs. The city’s alcohol and drug dependence centre has noted an increase in the use of morphine during the last two months.

A spokeswoman for the centre, Ms Daryle Deering, said that home-made morphine was being manufactured in Christchurch.

“A lot of people have reported using morphine. They say it is available and sold at expensive prices,” she said. The centre relies on the police to contain the manufacture of hard drugs.

Ms Deering said she was worried about the pressure an upsurge of patients could put on the centre’s services.

Chemists have been asked to restrict and to police the sale of certain painkillers and chemicals that could be used in kitchen laboratories to make harder drugs. The vice-president of the Canterbury branch of the Chemists’ Guild, Mr John Tavener, said that chemists were aware of the problem

of illicit manufacture of drugs. Guild members have been asked to limit the sale of certain painkillers to one packet a customer. They have also been advised to question customers on their specific need for the drugs. Mr Tavener said that the guild had a responsibility to try to advise patients on the best painkiller for their purpose. “It would be excessive for anyone to want more than one packet of painkillers,” he said.

It has been guild policy, particularly concerning chemicals and painkillers, that chemists take into account the condition of a patient. “If we can limit the stocks they (manufacturers) get, it might help,” he said. Mr Tavener hoped customers would accept that the questions were necessary to ensure that certain painkillers would continue to be available for patients who used them responsibly.