Okanagan pharmacist accused of dispensing opioids without prescription

An Okanagan pharmacist is under investigation for allegedly dispensing narcotics without a valid prescription.

According to a citation posted on the BC College of Pharmacists website, Dayton Cliff Sobool is scheduled to appear on May 27 before a disciplinary committee in Vancouver to set dates for a formal hearing.

Sobool worked as a temporary pharmacist at Prescription Health Studio in Kelowna from August 2016 to March 2017, the citation said.

Two weeks after his departure, the pharmacy’s owner lodged a complaint, alleging Sobool had been “diverting medication” and was missing documentation on 11 prescriptions.

The college alleged its investigation revealed that Sobool dispensed opioids, such as hydromorphone and oxycodone, on seven occasions without obtaining a valid written prescription.

He is also alleged to have dispensed Ativan and Apo-Diazepam, which treat anxiety disorders and trouble sleeping, without a prescription on three occasions.

Sobool faced similar allegations in 2011 after he managed the Paragon Mission Centre Pharmacy in Kelowna from July 2007 to November 2010.

That complaint pointed to concerns about “narcotic inventory management, prescription documentation and dispensing,” according to the citation.

The college’s investigation determined that he had dispensed medications without physician authorization and proper documentation, dispensed narcotics without proper prescriptions, failed to maintain accurate PharmaNet records, and sent unprofessional emails and text messages.

The 2011 matter was resolved after Sobool agreed to take additional training, submit to at least two random, unannounced inspections, and provide additional records for a year.

He currently works at Summerland Guardian Pharmacy. He has not returned repeated requests for comment.