The Virginia program to help impaired pharmacy students

The Pharmacy Profession's Reaction to Substance Abuse among Pharmacists: The Process and Consequences of Medicalization

This analysis traces the evolution of the pharmacy profession's reaction to problematic drug and/or alcohol use among its members. Historical events, scholarly literature, and the prevailing attitudes and perceptions of the pharmacy profession's governing bodies are drawn upon to illustrate how the profession has come to adopt a medical model orientation to the problem. The underlying assumptions and implications of this medical model orientation are critically considered as they relate to the profession's social control of existing drug and or alcohol use. It is suggested that the pharmacy profession and the scholarly community reconsider the way in which they approach the issue of impaired pharmacists. Specifically, the pharmacy profession needs to closely consider the impact that macro-level issues such as the conditions within the work environment and the processes of professional as well as occupational socialization have upon the nature and dynamics of ubstance abuse among its members.