Pharmacists in Manitoba have been urged to scale back their stocks of OxyContin after the drug was targeted in four armed robberies in Winnipeg.

The Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association has issued an alert to its nearly 1,300 members in the province.

Registrar Ronald Guse said the alert cautions pharmacists to take safety precautions by reducing the amount of OxyContin in their stores, posting notices that large quantities of the drug are not available, and to advertise that surveillance cameras are on.

'The police need to ramp up their activities to get this person or people off the street.'—Ronald Guse, Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association

Pharmacists have also been warned against taking last-minute customers, he said.

The alert was sent out in response to a rash of robberies this week in Winnipeg.

"It's happening and we need to know if it is one, or more than one, individual. And the police need to ramp up their activities to get this person or people off the street," said Guse.

Daytime robberies

A man held up two pharmacies at gunpoint in the East Kildonan neighbourhood on Tuesday, a pharmacy in the River East neighbourhood on Wednesday, and a pharmacy in the Transcona area on Thursday.

Two of the robberies happened in broad daylight, around 2:30 p.m., while the others were in the early evening.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents and the suspect has been described the same each time. He is between 20 and 30 years old, skinny, about six feet tall, wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt.

Guse said he recently met with Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau to discuss whether the provincial government's recent crackdown on OxyContin access is to blame.

There's no clear answer to that question yet, he said.

Restrictive rules on prescriptions

In March, the province placed restrictions on people's access to the prescription painkiller in an effort to curb the illegal use of the drug.

Only patients with cancer or other chronic conditions, where an alternate painkiller can't be used for medical reasons, are now allowed a prescription for OxyContin.

As well, doctors are required to seek approval from Manitoba Health to prescribe the drug.

A derivative of the opium poppy, OxyContin is sometimes crushed and snorted by addicts.

It is highly addictive and known on the street as "hillbilly heroin."

The illegal sale of the drug has been increasing on the streets of Winnipeg in recent years.