Pharmacist Accused of Dispensing Under the Influence

One pharmacist may have given a new meaning to DUI: dispensing under the influence.

Following the arrest of a pharmacist on drug possession charges, Washington State police are cautioning Edmonds Pharmacy customers to check their filled prescriptions.

Police officers and at least 1 customer who called 911 showed concern that the only pharmacist on duty on November 11, 2015, was under the influence.

The customer allegedly called the police to say he or she did not think the person behind the counter should be filling prescriptions, KING 5 reported.

“He admitted that he was the lone pharmacist for the entire day,” Sergeant Josh McClure of the Edmonds Police Department told KING 5. “That meant he was dealing with other people’s prescriptions, so we wanted to make sure that customers were made aware of this so they could double-check their prescription, make sure that all the pills look right, and all the markings look right.”

The sergeant suggested that patients call the pharmacy to confirm their prescriptions.

Police arrived at the pharmacy on the evening of November 11, 2015, and discovered the pharmacist by his car, according to KING 5.

Because of his behavior, the police called EMTs. They also discovered probable cause to arrest the pharmacist for possession of prescription narcotics.

While the police and at least 1 customer were under the impression that the pharmacist may have been misusing substances, the Edmonds Pharmacy technician told police he did not believe the pharmacist was “on anything.” The technician told KING 5 that the pharmacist seemed “under the weather.”

The technician said he was calling everyone who visited the pharmacy on November 11, 2015, to confirm their prescriptions. He also checked store inventories and did not find anything out of order.