European Pharmacies.

[Liv]

Now I will admit to generally leaning away from capitalist policy, and more towards small business, but when it comes to the pharmacy-culture in Europe, I disagree.

You see here, you can't buy prescriptions or actually any medicine, including OTC medicine at your grocer, gas station, or Wal-Mart (Carrefour Planet). NONE. Let me digress, because that may make sense for a second, but this also includes cough drops, mouth wash, and aspirin.

That's right... NONE.

I was shocked. Not only must you go to a pharmacist to get it, you then don't ask for medicine, you describe your problem ("my mouth smells bad", etc.), and they give you what they think is best. It's a Guilded system that manages a premium of 3x - 4x to even other European pharma-outlets in other countries which do allow the sell of drugs at general stores.

While different, I really can't say how I feel on the matter at the moment (though cough-drops seems a bit overboard to me). It's certainly less convenient to visit two places, pay more, and get arguable less, but almost every neighborhood has one, and the argument is that the pharmacists are better skilled than you.

What's funny is since, I disagree... (to some degree) and perhaps it's just me adjusting, where would this put a Republican on it? I can only imagine a Tea Party member trying to find Neosporin at the store only to be told "we (the country) don't trust you enough to self-prescribe Neosporin, and therefore require you to visit an alternative place." There is some irony in it, as condom machines are attached to every street corner, but mult-vitamins require an appointment with a pharmacist.

Republicans are all for free markets, and capitalism.... yet, clearly if my local Carrefour offered over-the-counter drugs, then many small business would lose their source of income.

Outmoded practice or not, it looks like it's starting change (Just not in Belgium).

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/busin ... wanted=all

Another interesting article in reference to BE:
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2011/02/0 ... ow-growth/

[gdeb]

Dear Liv,

while I agree on most of what you say, as a Belgian, I feel compelled to react. I am surprised by what you are saying about the fact that you can't ask for a specific medicine, because that's exactly what I did for my entire life. If I want some Dafalgan, some Nurofen or some Parodontax, I just ask for it, and so far, I always got it.

Also, many large stores have now a selection of OTC medicines (I know that the Delhaize/Colruyt in my area do), but it's quite new, I think.

Otherwise, I completely agree that the situation is unfortunate and that state-induced monopolies such as those pharmacies are certainly not a productive way to handle the situation.

[A Person]

ItS also not a 'European' thing - it might be a Belgian thing but it's not the case in the UK France, Holland or Germany to my knowledge

Of course what's OTC & what's prescription varies between countries.

[Liv]

I'd love to find a Delhaize with OTC.

I went out to the Carrefour Planet the other day and didn't find any. Luckily I did get conditioner and shaving lotion.