An outspoken Coquitlam pharmacist who resigned her position on her profession's regulatory board will have to wait and see whether her pot stirring was worth it.

Bev Harris, known as a vocal anti-smoking advocate, found herself in the midst of a provincial debate on the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy techs last week, as she joined hundreds of other pharmacists concerned about regulatory changes on the horizon.

"The reason why we have a college is we're supposed to be self-regulating," she said, adding that the organization's 31 staff members and million-dollar budget can be incredibly effective in creating change.

But, according to Harris, the change should mirror the ethics upheld by pharmacists.

"We're self-regulating for a reason, so we can protect the public."

The College of Pharmacists of B.C. drafted bylaw revisions that would allow for pharmacy technicians to be included in its membership, and the college board voted in June to move ahead with a plan to regulate the techs. The college intended to change the scope of the techs' practice to allow for a greater role behind the pharmacy counter: affording independent authority, responsibility and liability to prepare, process and compound prescriptions. Current techs could undergo a voluntary regulation process involving several exams, and the first pharmacy techs would be regulated by Dec. 31.

But the changes caused enough of a stir in the pharmacist community that 500 people signed a petition to force the board to demand the college hold a special meeting. At that meeting, Harris said, a vast majority of pharmacists voted in favour of a motion requesting the board revisit the issue and reconsider pharmacy tech regulations.

As a board member, Harris took an oath of office requiring she follow the board's collective decisions, and was warned against speaking out. But she said she felt so strongly on the issue that she resigned.

"It was either resign or be kicked off," she said with a chuckle. "They have a governance model that you should all speak with one voice, and you should not speak out on any issues. That goes against, to me, what their motto is, which is to protect the public -- and this is a public protection issue."

Harris was able to speak at the July 13 meeting alongside more than 20 other pharmacists who oppose the regulation in favour of certification -- a process that would require more education and training.

"We had over 200 people and they voted overwhelmingly that this was a concern, that the board should reconsider what they're doing," Harris said, adding that the board's meeting in September will reveal the direction the college will take. "Pharmacists never get together on anything. This is the first time ever that they've ever spoken up on anything.Certification versus regulation is what we wanted in the first place, but it saves face for everybody. It's just the right way to go."

Now on the outside looking in, Harris said she'll be able to gauge in September whether resigning her position was worth it. "I don't know right now," she said. "We'll see."