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Re: “Ripple effects,” Letter, Dec. 6.

The Alberta College of Pharmacists should provide statistics showing the number of cases of misuse or wrongly dispensed drugs with pharmacies providing incentives to shop, compared to pharmacies that do not. If there are more problems per customer that can be attributed to providing incentives, then stop the practice. I am willing to give up my free blender for the safety of myself and others.

Darcy Padula is wrong to infer pharmacists who work in pharmacies that provide inducements are forced to be inept as a result. I thought pharmacists are more than just pill counters and had a professional responsibility to counsel to their customers regarding food and drug interactions. I am more than satisfied with my pharmacists.

It is wrong for any professional association to regulate how a business operates. It should concentrate on its members’ conduct and qualifications. If a private pharmacy cannot compete with the larger box pharmacies, then it should not be in business. The small optometrists, hardware stores and florists are being replaced by big box stores. The customer should decide the reasons for shopping at one store over another, not an association mostly made up of small business owners whose real motivation is self-preservation.

Greg Johnston, Airdrie