[Talk-ca] Pharmacy vs. dispensing pharmacy

[Richard Weait]

On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 9:03 AM, James Ewen <ve6srv at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 5:37 AM, Richard Weait <richard at weait.com> wrote:
>
>> Your suggestion of shop=department_store, plus a POI for
>> amenity=pharmacy, sounds ideal.  Remember to add dispensing=yes, to
>> the pharmacy POI if they dispense prescriptions.
>
> Just to sate my curiosity, what would a pharmacy sell if it didn't
> dispense prescriptions? Would 7-11 be a pharmacy because they sell
> Tylenol? I equate dispensing prescriptions implicitly with the term
> pharmacy.

I share your reaction, James, and was surprised when I learned this
from our continental cousins.  To me a pharmacy isn't a pharmacy
unless it dispenses prescriptions.  So the pharmacies I'm familiar
with should be tagged dispensing=yes.  Sounds like this is your
understanding as well.

I've heard from mappers elsewhere, that they have non-dispensing
pharmacies with off-the-shelf notions, as well as over-the-counter
medicines.  Apparently dispensing prescription medicines is an
additional qualification not found in every pharmacy.

So I guess (really, I'm just guessing here) that we don't have places
where your can get over-the-counter medicine, that does not also
include prescription medicines.  So other jurisdictions may have two
levels of pharmacist licenses, one for over the counter, and another
for prescription.  Or something like that.