Jenna Ternan, Saskatoon Pharmacist, Sentenced to 5 Years for Trafficking Oxycodone

Jenna Ternan, 43, and the former owner and operator of Northumberland Pharmacy in Saskatoon, has been sentenced to five years in prison. She pleaded guilty to illegally selling over 22,000 oxycodone pills, a move Justice David Gerecke called an “appalling breach of trust.”

Illegal Drug Sales and Investigation

Police launched their investigation after arresting a man in January 2023 who possessed oxycodone pills along with a box labeled from Northumberland Pharmacy. Messages on his cellphone revealed drug exchanges with Ternan.

Authorities determined Ternan sold between 22,200 and 22,300 pills valued at $58,000 to $87,400 from September 2022 to January 2023.

Personal Context and Court Proceedings

Authorities arrested Ternan and her common-law partner of eight years, Elmer Hanson, in March 2023. Authorities charged Hanson as well, but he passed away before trial.

Her defence lawyer explained that trafficking caught Ternan up. Hanson struggled with opioid addiction after a chronic injury and had developed a gambling problem. Ternan supported Hanson financially and employed him at the pharmacy after he stopped working in construction.

Though the trafficking partly stemmed from Hanson’s influence, Ternan acknowledged her role and accepted responsibility for her actions.

Sentencing and Judge’s Remarks

Justice Gerecke acknowledged the serious breach of trust that harmed many individuals. He noted that similar cases involving pharmacists have resulted in sentences ranging from three to 14 years, with longer sentences linked to fentanyl trafficking.

Considering the severity of the offense and breach of trust, the judge agreed that a five-year sentence was fitting. After credit for time served in remand, Ternan has about three years and 11 months left to serve.

How do you think pharmacists should be held accountable for drug trafficking while balancing their trusted role in healthcare?

More…

• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-pharmacist-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison-for-drug-trafficking-1.7544199
• https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/saskatoon-pharmacist-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison-for-drug-trafficking/ar-AA1FwvUY