Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 420b - Dependency-Producing Drugs
Section 21a-250. (Formerly Sec. 19-458). - Rights and duties of pharmacist.

(a) A pharmacist, in good faith, may sell and dispense controlled substances to any person upon a prescription of a physician or dentist, podiatrist, optometrist, veterinarian, physician assistant licensed pursuant to section 20-12b, advanced practice registered nurse, or nurse-midwife to the extent that they are authorized to prescribe such controlled substances. Except as otherwise provided by regulations adopted pursuant to section 21a-244, the person filling or refilling the prescription shall include the date of filling and the person's signature or initials on any prescription for controlled substances, and the prescription shall be retained on file by the proprietor of the pharmacy in which it is filled for a period of three years, so as to be readily accessible for inspection by any public officer or employee engaged in the enforcement of this chapter. The prescription shall not be filled or refilled unless permitted by federal food and drug laws, the federal Controlled Substances Act and regulations adopted under this chapter.

(b) The legal owner of any stock of controlled substances in a pharmacy, upon discontinuance of dealing in such substances, may sell such stock to a manufacturer, distributor, practitioner, wholesaler or pharmacy, but schedule II substances may only be sold on such written order as is required by the federal Controlled Substances Act.
(c) A pharmacist, only upon an official written order, may sell to a registrant the kinds and quantities of aqueous or oleaginous schedule II substances which he has prepared and which are permitted by the federal Controlled Substances Act.
(d) (1) A retail pharmacy or pharmacy within a licensed hospital may distribute small quantities of schedule III, IV or V controlled substances to another pharmacy to provide for the immediate needs of a patient pursuant to a prescription or medication order of a practitioner. As used in this subsection “small quantities” means not more than one ounce of a powder or ointment, not more than sixteen ounces of a liquid and not more than one hundred dosage units of tablets, capsules, suppositories or injectables. (2) A retail pharmacy may distribute, in accordance with state and federal statutes and regulations, a schedule II, III, IV or V controlled substance to a practitioner who has a current federal and state registry number authorizing such practitioner to purchase such controlled substances, and who is the medical director of a chronic and convalescent nursing home, of a rest home with nursing supervision or of a state correctional institution, for use as emergency stock within such facility. Such drugs shall be supplied in containers which bear labels specifying the name of the drug and its strength, expiration date, lot number and manufacturer. Drugs supplied pursuant to this subsection shall be limited in type and quantity to those specifically documented and authorized by such medical director for use as emergency stock in such facility. (3) Pharmacies distributing controlled substances in accordance with the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection shall keep a written record of such transactions containing the name of the receiving pharmacy, or the name and federal registry number of a medical director, date distributed and name, form, strength and quantity of such controlled substances distributed. Such records shall be kept on file separately, in accordance with subsection (h) of section 21a-254. Receiving pharmacies or medical directors, shall keep, in a separate file, a written record in accordance with subsections (f) and (h) of section 21a-254.
(1967, P.A. 555, S. 14; 1972, P.A. 278, S. 6; P.A. 73-681, S. 7, 29; P.A. 77-277, S. 4; P.A. 78-53, S. 1; P.A. 82-419, S. 38, 47; P.A. 84-194, S. 3; P.A. 90-211, S. 13, 23; P.A. 96-203, S. 2; P.A. 99-102, S. 34; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 26, 131.)
History: 1972 act replaced “drugs” and “drugs other than narcotic drugs” with “substances” and “federal narcotic laws” with “Federal Controlled Substances Act”, allowed sales to podiatrists in Subsec. (a), allowed sales to distributors, practitioners and pharmacies (rather than pharmacists) in Subsec. (b), specified written order required only for sales of Schedule II substances (previously required for all sales) and deleted reference to orders required by commissioner of health or consumer protection and replaced “narcotic drugs” with “Schedule II substances” in Subsec. (c); P.A. 73-681 specified “aqueous or oleaginous” substances prepared by pharmacist in Subsec. (c); P.A. 77-277 added exception re Sec. 19-451a in Subsec. (a); P.A. 78-53 added Subsec. (d) re interpharmacy sales of small quantities of controlled substances; P.A. 82-419 deleted requirement that pharmacist hand “write” date of filling and initials on prescriptions; Sec. 19-458 transferred to Sec. 21a-250 in 1983; P.A. 84-194 added Subsec. (d)(2) allowing retail pharmacies to distribute certain controlled drugs to convalescent nursing facilities or rest homes under certain circumstances; P.A. 90-211 added references to physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse and nurse midwife; P.A. 96-203 added optometrists in Subsec. (a) to those providers whose prescriptions can be filled; P.A. 99-102 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting obsolete reference to osteopathy and making a technical change; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 amended Subsec. (d) to add provision re state correctional institution and to make a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality, effective July 1, 2001.
Subsec. (a):
Central purpose is to ensure prescriptions will be accessible for inspection by law enforcement officials responsible for enforcing criminal drug laws. 259 C. 436.

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