MANAGING THE PROBLEM OF SELLING LEGALLY RESTRICTED MEDICATIONS IN GROCERY STORES: A CASE STUDY OF BALA SUBDISTRICT, KABANG DISTRICT, YALA PROVINCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69598/tbps.20.2.223-241Keywords:
grocery store, laws, community’s networks, participatory action research, medication salesAbstract
Selling legally restricted medications in grocery stores is still a major problem found in Thailand. This study aimed to investigate the scale and causes of the problem, as well as to develop appropriate management strategies for the sale of legally restricted medications in grocery stores within the context of Bala Subdistrict, Yala Province. This study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR). The study was conducted from May 2022 to January 2024. The initial community survey revealed that 78.57% of grocery stores sold legally restricted medications. The primary reason for selling these medications was to meet customer demand (86.96%), while the secondary reason was a lack of knowledge about drug laws (69.57%). After the community networks and researchers implemented nine intervention strategies, the proportion of stores selling unauthorized medications decreased slightly to 77.42%. The most common type of medication found in stores shifted from dangerous drugs (75.00%) to household medications (80.65%). Additionally, 19 stores (61.29%) reduced the number of medication items sold compared to the initial survey. The total number of medication items of all types found in stores before and after the intervention showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.009). Distributing posters detailing drug laws to grocery store and pharmacy operators, resulted in no store operators citing a lack of knowledge as a reason for selling medications in the second survey. Furthermore, 36.84% reported reducing the sale of legally restricted medications after pharmacists advised them to sell only household medications. The strategy of distributing drug law posters to grocery store and pharmacy operators, proved suitable for the local context and can be adapted for use in other communities at the provincial level.
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