PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
(Board of Pharmacy)
Subject of Possible Rule Making: WAC 246-865-060 Extended care facility--Pharmaceutical services, allowing pharmacies to register as a controlled substance registrant to receive outdated, discontinued, or unwanted controlled substance prescriptions from extended care facilities.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 18.64.005(7).
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Recent changes to Department of Ecology rules prohibit the disposal of controlled substances into sewer or solid waste systems. Extended care facilities are accumulating large numbers of controlled substance prescriptions that they have no means to destroy. Amending rules to allow pharmacies to receive these prescriptions from extended care facilities for disposal will protect public health and safety by eliminating access to potentially dangerous drugs.
Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also regulates the distribution and control of controlled substances. DEA will be notified of stakeholder meetings.
Process for Developing New Rule: Collaborative rule making.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Lisa Salmi, Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, P.O. Box 47863, Olympia, WA 98504-7863, Lisa.Salmi@doh.wa.gov, phone (360) 236-4828, fax (360) 586-4359.
October 20, 2004
Steven Saxe
Executive Director