Again, my regulatory colleagues may wish to respond, but very quickly I'll say that this is why we have regulated health professionals. They are under the obligation to practise in a safe, evidence-based way, so I can pretty safely guarantee that no registered nurse would give a patient a sample of a drug that they do not need and for which they've not provided that patient with information about what the drug does, why they need to take it, and how they need to take it.
The drugs that they would give out are drugs that the patient would see.... For example, I'll go back to blood pressure. There's a host of blood pressure medications on the market. All of them have various side effects. Some of them are more effective than others with particular patients. Sometimes you have to try two, three or four blood pressure medications until you get the effect of reducing and controlling that patient's blood pressure. That is why giving out samples is so helpful.
But from a safety perspective, I have no hesitation in saying that you wouldn't find a nurse giving a sample inappropriately.