A questionnaire was conducted among pharmacists working for 193 pharmacies regarding the present situation and their recognition of palliative treatment and narcotic analgesics.Responses to the questionnaire were collected from 171 pharmacists at 81 pharmacies,revealing that 70.2% of the pharmacists had experience of dispensing narcotic analgesics,46.8% of the pharmacies had a regular stock of narcotic analgesics,the mean number of narcotic items in stock was 6.5,and 25.3% of the pharmacies practiced home-visit treatment.The level of understanding palliative treatment and the proper use of narcotic analgesics was higher in pharmacists working for pharmacies dealing with narcotic analgesics,and engaged in homevisit activities than in those working in other situations.While many pharmacists gave instructions regarding adverse reactions to narcotic analgesics and precautions for their use to patients notified of their condition,they often only gave information on common indications and side effectsto patients yet to be notified or unaware of their condition.In the future,we should hold study meetings in communities to improve their expertise in palliative treatment.