Probably unfortunately, it's still not available off the shelf -- it's behind the counter. No prescription needed, but you have to ask the pharmacist.
That's the procedure for, e.g., codeine, in Canada. We can buy Tylenol 2 and Benylin+codeine (cough syrup) without a prescription, but we have to ask for it. This gives the pharmacist an opportunity to assess whether there are reasons not to dispense the drug (likely abuse, bad combination with other drugs or health factors) and to instruct the client on the proper use and any possible side effects.
There probably isn't any real reason to make the morning-after pill semi-restricted like this. And it's one more potential barrier to women who might have a hard enough time getting up the nerve just to let the cashier see them buying it.
And I'm not sure what justifies charging $25 for it, either.
Some years ago, when Plan B was available by prescription, K-Mart decided to stop stocking it. Its stated reason was that demand was so low that the cost of re-stocking outdated supplies made it uneconomical. That was probably true, if not public-spirited.
Hmm, I recall that being K-Mart (which no longer exists here) and Plan B, but Wal-Mart seems to have been the same:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_emer4.htm (1999)
Wal-mart in Canada has decided to not stock the pill in its pharmacies. However it will back-order a supply in order to fill a prescription. Of course, the time taken to receive pills on back order exceeds the 72 hours during which the pills must be taken. Women in Canada who live where the Wal-Mart pharmacy is the only convenient source of medication, and who wish to have immediate access to Preven will have to stock up in advance, or be prepared to drive a long distance.
In any event, no major retailer seems to have expressed any "moral" objections.
The anti-choice brigade was out in force on the TV news yesterday, snivelling about "abortifacients", and pharmacists' tender consciences. The weight of the email reported by CBC Newsworld regarding that issue was on the "if they don't like it, they can get another job" side.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/03/28/morning-after-study050328.html29 Mar 2005
CBC News
OTTAWA - A new study shows British Columbian women have been using emergency contraception about twice as often since the morning-after pill was made available without a doctor's prescription.
... Nearly 18,000 women a year took the pills.
Study author Dr. Judith Soon of the University of British Columbia estimates the drug prevented 390 unwanted pregnancies over those two years.
And that's a good thing.
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