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REGINA — Pharmacists say it’s time for Canada to restrict access to over-the-counter codeine as the country grapples with an opioid crisis.

There have been renewed calls to limit access of low-dose codeine products, including Tylenol 1 and their generic counterparts, since a pharmacy in Saskatchewan was disciplined for failing to understand how the drug can be abused.

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Codeine is an opiate used as a painkiller and to treat coughs but can be misused. In most of Canada, codeine comes in eight-milligram pills, mixed with two other ingredients, that can be purchased without a prescription.

Saskatchewan’s College of Pharmacy Professionals recently released details of 15 charges against Dewdney Drugs, a store in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood. The pharmacy has since closed.

An inspection revealed that between April 2017 and January 2018, the pharmacy purchased 1.6 million Tylenol 1 tablets.