Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 370 - Medicine and Surgery
Section 20-14. - Exceptions. Prescription in English. Penalties.

No provision of this section, sections 20-9 to 20-13, inclusive, or 20-14a shall be construed to repeal or affect any of the provisions of any private charter, or to apply to licensed pharmacists. All physicians or surgeons and all physician assistants practicing under the provisions of this chapter shall, when requested, write a duplicate of their prescriptions in the English language. Any person who violates any provision of this section regarding prescriptions shall be fined ten dollars for each offense. Any person who violates any provision of section 20-9 shall be guilty of a class D felony. For the purposes of this section, each instance of patient contact or consultation which is in violation of any provision of section 20-9 shall constitute a separate offense. Failure to renew a license in a timely manner shall not constitute a violation for the purposes of this section. Any person who swears to any falsehood in any statement required by section 20-10, 20-12, 20-12b or 20-12c to be filed with the Department of Public Health shall be guilty of false statement.

(1949 Rev., S. 4368; 1969, P.A. 117; 1971, P.A. 871, S. 97; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 84-526, S. 1; P.A. 90-211, S. 11, 23; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 13-208, S. 21; 13-258, S. 70.)
History: 1969 act increased penalties: for first offense from fine of $100 to $300 and/or maximum imprisonment of one year to fine of $200 to $1,000 and/or maximum imprisonment of two years and for subsequent offenses from fine of $200 to $500 and/or thirty-day minimum and one-year maximum imprisonment to fine of $500 to $2,000 and/or one-year minimum and five-year maximum imprisonment; 1971 act referred to “false statement” rather than “perjury”; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-526 amended section by changing penalty for violation of any provision of Sec. 20-9 to a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment of not more than five years, and added provisions that each instance of patient contact or consultation shall constitute a separate offense and failure to renew license in timely manner is not a violation for purposes of section; P.A. 90-211 applied provisions to physician assistants and added reference to Secs. 20-12b and 20-12c; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 13-208 deleted reference to Sec. 20-8; P.A. 13-258 changed penalty from fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment of not more than 5 years to a class D felony.
See Sec. 17a-714a re legal protections for licensed health care professionals who prescribe opioid antagonists to drug users.
Cited. 207 C. 346.

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