HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1703

BYRepresentatives Braddock and Brooks; by request of Pharmacy Board

Revising provisions on pharmacy.

House Committe on Health Care

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives Braddock, Chair; Bristow, Bumgarner, Cantwell, Lewis, Lux, D. Sommers, Sprenkle and Vekich.

House Staff:John Welsh (786-7133)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE FEBRUARY 4, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Currently, shopkeepers must be licensed in order to sell nonprescription drugs, but those selling 15 or less are exempt.

Sales records of prescription drugs must be preserved for 5 years by pharmacies, and are subject to inspection by peace officers.

An applicant for licensure as a pharmacist must be at least a citizen, alien in a pharmacy education graduate program, or a resident alien.

Currently, sellers of legend (prescription) drugs are not required to maintain records of the receipt and disposition of legend drugs, and there is no penalty for failure to do so.

SUMMARY:

The exemption from registration for shopkeepers selling 15 or less nonprescription drugs is repealed.

Records sales of prescription drugs previously required to be preserved for 5 years, may now be preserved for 3 years; and these records must be open for inspection by law enforcement officers authorized to enforce substance abuse violations.

Citizenship is no longer a requirement of licensure as a pharmacist.

Sellers of legend drugs are required to maintain invoices or records of their receipt and disposition for at least three years and are subject to inspection.  A violation of this requirement is a felony.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 22, 1988.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Charles James, Pharmacy Board.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This is request legislation of the Board of Pharmacy which will help enforce the substance abuse laws.  The Board will be better able to deal with the tampering of drug containers in shops, which are now exempted from regulation.  Records of receipts and disposition of dangerous drugs should be maintained for illicit drug diversion purposes.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.