Pharmacy closed for manufacturing marijuana products

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy has ordered the emergency closure of a pharmacy and the suspension of a pharmacist accused of manufacturing marijuana products and dispensing controlled substances without prescriptions.

The pharmacy owner and pharmacist are also accused of filling patient prescriptions at other pharmacies without their knowledge and numerous other violations. 

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The Tumalo Pharmacy in Tumalo, Oregon and pharmacist Kerri Rosenblatt were both placed under emergency suspension pending the completion of an investigation by the pharmacy board. The pharmacy’s owners, Doug Forbes and Rosenblatt, have 90 days to dispute the findings.

Karen MacLean, the pharmacy board’s administrative director, said violations so severe they require emergency suspensions are “very uncommon.”

“I’m thinking in my 14 years here that we’ve done this probably less than five times,” McLean toldThe Bulletin.

The board alleges that the pharmacy sent prescriptions to other pharmacies and told those pharmacies that patients had requested the transfers. The pharmacy gave the other pharmacies the telephone number of its pharmacy technician and told them it was the patient’s number.

The pharmacy technician subsequently picked up the prescriptions and paid the co-pays. The pharmacy then placed its own labels on the medications.     

The pharmacy is also accused of manufacturing liquid and capsule marijuana products, labeling them as prescription, and delivering them to a client; as well as dispensing controlled substances without prescriptions.

The numerous other allegations include operating the pharmacy without a pharmacist present and employees drinking alcohol while working at the pharmacy.

Forbes said drinking alcohol never happened while the pharmacy was open. “Nobody here sits here and takes straight shots of tequila while we’re filling prescriptions,” Forbes told the newspaper. “Never does that happen.