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Smokers looking to kick the habit might chew nicotine gum or wear a patch sold over the counter in drug stores across Canada to give them an extra boost. But should they also be able to bypass the doctor and head to the drugstore if they're looking for something stronger?

A growing number of pharmacists across Canada think they should - and the idea is drawing sharp criticism from some drug-safety experts.

A few dozen Alberta pharmacists are currently authorized to write prescriptions for Zyban and Champix, the brand names of two common smoking-cessation drugs.

An advisory council to Ontario's health ministry is recommending that pharmacists in the province also be allowed to write prescriptions for smoking-cessation drugs. The recommendation is contained in a broader report that supports expanding the power of pharmacists to prescribe drugs for minor ailments, as well as to alter prescriptions or change dosages.

While Ontario's Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council admits that nicotine addiction is not a "minor ailment," it says pharmacists in the province should be able to write prescriptions for stop-smoking drugs as a way to improve access for those who want to quit.

But there is growing concern over the proposal because Zyban and Champix have been linked to serious side effects and increased risk for health problems.

"I think there should be warning flags," said Arthur Schafer, director of the University of Manitoba's Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics. "It's a problem. I don't see this as a move in the right direction."

Earlier this year, Health Canada issued a warning that Champix may be linked to an increased risk of depressed mood, agitation and even suicide after receiving more than 220 reports of "neuropsychiatric" problems linked to the drug from the time it was put on the market, April, 2007, to April, 2008.

Zyban, which has been on the market for several years, has been associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, seizures and other problems.

The issue is part of a larger debate over authorizing pharmacists to prescribe drugs. An increasing number of provinces are considering expanding the prescribing powers of pharmacists to help ease the strain on doctors and provide patients with better access to medical treatments. In most cases, pharmacists would only be able to prescribe drugs for minor ailments, such as poison ivy or athlete's foot.

Under the proposed Ontario plan, recently released to the public, pharmacists would primarily be prescribing medications for minor ailments. But the advisory council has recommended making an exception for stop-smoking drugs because pharmacists' organizations say the public benefit outweighs the potential harm.

"Certainly, there's some questions about [smoking-cessation drugs], but like any medication there's benefits to it and there's risk to it as well," said Ken Burns, past chairman of the Ontario Pharmacists Association and a community pharmacist near Sudbury, Ont.

But unlike other drugs, stop-smoking medications aren't necessary to maintain a patient's life, said Alan Cassels, a drug-policy researcher at the University of Victoria. "There are other ways to get treatment than getting drugs."

There are fears that granting pharmacists the power to prescribe drugs such as Champix could open the door to a similar move for a wider range of other powerful pharmaceuticals, Prof. Schafer said. In Britain, for instance, pharmacists can give patients statins, a group of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor.

If Canada moved to adopt similar measures for statins or other drugs, it could lead to "overuse, misuse and abuse of drugs by pharmacists," Prof. Schafer said.