B.C. pharmacist suspended 3 years, fined $30K over handling of narcotics

A pharmacy shelf is seen in this file image.

The former manager of a Maple Ridge pharmacy has been handed a three-year suspension and a $30,000 fine for improper handling of narcotics, according to a professional regulator.

The College of Pharmacists of B.C. first suspended Sahil Sharma’s registration in an “extraordinary action” in 2024 while it investigated him on allegations of inadequate storage and security of controlled drugs.

Read more: Maple Ridge pharmacist suspended by college in ‘extraordinary action’ to protect public

Since then, Sharma allowed his registration to lapse, and after the investigation and discipline hearing he entered a consent agreement with the college that went into effect on Feb. 18, 2026.

According to a summary of that agreement published online recently, Sharma admitted that he stored scheduled drugs from the pharmacy overnight in a closet at his home, and stored “multiple days worth” of delivery medications, including narcotics, outside the pharmacy.

During an inspection of Lougheed Pharmacy, investigators found the following, as described in the agreement:

• unsecured narcotic and controlled drugs, both labeled and unlabeled, and some past their indicated dispense date, in various areas of the premises and the (pharmacy delivery) vehicle;
• inadequate and incomplete narcotic inventory records;
• narcotic inventory that had not been counted and verified according to pharmacy practice requirements;
• significant variances in narcotic drug inventory that the former registrant had not properly addressed or reported;
• discrepancies related to prescription products, including narcotic and controlled drugs, that the former registrant reported were ready to be dispensed and ingested by patients;
• incomplete and inconsistent prescription records related to the provision of Opioid Agonist Therapy services;
• prescription products that, according to PharmaNet records, should have been previously dispensed to patients.

The college says its investigation revealed “significant breaches” of legislative requirements and practice standards for pharmacists, which “directly put patients at risk of real harm.”

It said Sharma’s disregard of storage and security requirements for high-alert drugs displayed “poor judgement” and added unnecessary risk of theft and diversion.

“The committee considered that the former registrant’s conduct displayed a disregard for patient and public safety, and that he prioritized his own personal convenience at the expense of patient and public safety,” the public summary reads.

“The committee considered the former registrant’s departures from legislative requirements and from the college’s ethical and practice standards to be extremely serious.”

As a result, Sharma agreed to have his registration suspended for three years, which would begin when and if he is reinstated as a practicing member of the college. For a period following the suspension, he would have to adhere to conditions on handling narcotics, would not be able to be a manager or owner of a pharmacy, and would have to work under supervision.

In addition, Sharma must complete an ethics course and pay a $30,000 fine.

The college says the terms of the agreement will give Sharma time to “reflect on his conduct” and make improvements.