2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 21a - Consumer Protection
Chapter 420b - Dependency-Producing Drugs
Section 21a-249 - (Formerly Sec. 19-457). Prescription requirements.

(a) All prescriptions for controlled drugs shall include (1) the name and address of the patient, or the name and address of the owner of an animal and the species of the animal, (2) whether the patient is an adult or a child, or his specific age, (3) the compound or preparation prescribed and the amount thereof, (4) directions for use of the medication, (5) the name and address of the prescribing practitioner, (6) the date of issuance, and (7) the Federal Registry number of the practitioner. No prescription blank containing a prescription for a schedule II substance shall contain more than one prescription.

(b) Written prescriptions shall be written in ink or in indelible pencil or by typewriter. No duplicate, carbon or photographic copies and no printed or rubber-stamped orders shall be considered valid prescriptions within the meaning of this chapter. No prescription or order for any controlled substance issued by a practitioner to an inanimate object or thing shall be considered a valid prescription within the meaning of this chapter.

(c) Prescriptions for schedule II substances, if in writing, shall be signed by the prescribing practitioner at the time of issuance and previously signed orders for such schedule II substances shall not be considered valid prescriptions within the meaning of this chapter. No practitioner shall prescribe, dispense or administer schedule II sympathomimetic amines as anorectics, except as may be authorized by regulations adopted by the Departments of Public Health and Consumer Protection acting jointly. The Department of Public Health and the Department of Consumer Protection, acting jointly, may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, allowing practitioners to prescribe, dispense or administer schedule II sympathomimetic amines as anorectics under certain specific circumstances. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require a licensed pharmacist to determine the diagnosis of a patient prior to dispensing a prescription for such substances to a patient.

(d) To the extent permitted by the federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 USC 801, as from time to time amended, a prescribing practitioner may issue an oral order or an electronically transmitted prescription order and, except as otherwise provided by regulations adopted pursuant to sections 21a-243, 21a-244 and 21a-244a, such oral order or electronically transmitted prescription order shall be promptly reduced to writing on a prescription blank or a hardcopy printout or created as an electronic record and filed by the pharmacist filling it. For the purposes of subsections (d) and (h) of this section the term “electronically transmitted” means transmitted by facsimile machine, computer modem or other similar electronic device.

(e) To the extent permitted by the federal Controlled Substances Act, in an emergency the dispensing of schedule II substances may be made upon the oral order of a prescribing registrant known to or confirmed by the filling pharmacist who shall promptly reduce the oral order to writing on a prescription blank, provided, in such cases such oral order shall be confirmed by the proper completion and mailing or delivery of a prescription prepared by the prescribing registrant to the pharmacist filling such oral order within seventy-two hours after the oral order has been given. Such prescription of the registrant shall be affixed to the temporary prescription prepared by the pharmacist and both prescriptions shall be maintained on file as required in this chapter.

(f) All prescriptions for controlled substances shall comply fully with any additional requirements of the federal food and drug laws, the federal Controlled Substances Act, and state laws and regulations adopted under this chapter.

(g) Repealed by P.A. 82-419, S. 46, 47.

(h) Except when dispensed directly by a practitioner, other than a pharmacy, to an ultimate user, a controlled substance included in schedule III or IV, which is a prescription drug as determined under federal food and drug laws, shall not be dispensed without a written, electronically transmitted or oral prescription of a practitioner. The prescription shall not be filled or refilled more than six months after the date thereof or be refilled more than five times, unless renewed by the practitioner.

(i) A controlled substance included in schedule V shall not be distributed or dispensed other than for a medical purpose.

(j) A pharmacy may sell and dispense controlled substances upon the prescription of a prescribing practitioner, as defined in subdivision (22) of section 20-571.

(k) Pharmacies shall file filled prescriptions for controlled substances separately from other prescriptions. All schedule II prescriptions shall be filed in a separate file or in an electronic file. All schedule III, IV and V prescriptions shall be filed in another separate file or in an electronic file, except as otherwise provided for in regulations adopted pursuant to section 21a-243, 21a-244 or 21a-244a. All written controlled substance prescriptions shall, immediately upon filling, be filed chronologically and consecutively.

(l) Any pharmacy may transfer prescriptions for controlled substances included in schedules III, IV and V to any other pharmacy in accordance with the requirements set forth in the federal Controlled Substances Act 21 USC 801 et seq. and the regulations promulgated thereunder, as from time to time amended.

(m) A practitioner authorized to prescribe controlled substances shall not prescribe anabolic steroids for the sole purpose of enhancing a patient’s athletic ability or performance.

(1967, P.A. 555, S. 13; 1969, P.A. 161, S. 1, 2; 1972, P.A. 278, S. 5; P.A. 73-681, S. 6, 29; P.A. 77-165, S. 1; 77-277, S. 3; P.A. 78-310, S. 2, 4; P.A. 82-419, S. 37, 46, 47; P.A. 83-156; P.A. 85-613, S. 60, 154; P.A. 91-224, S. 1; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-72, S. 1; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; 95-264, S. 58; P.A. 97-64, S. 2; P.A. 00-182, S. 4; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 05-73, S. 2; P.A. 09-22, S. 5.)

History: 1969 act deleted limiting phrase “to the extent permitted by the federal narcotic laws” in Subsec. (e) and deleted reference to compliance with “any additional requirements of federal narcotic laws” in Subsec. (f); 1972 act referred to “substances” rather than “drugs” and to “Schedule II” substances rather than to “Class A” narcotics, limited provisions of Subsec. (e) by adding “to the extent permitted by the Federal Controlled Substances Act”, restated Subsec. (f) to specify compliance with “any additional requirements” of food and drug laws and to specify federal drug law and added Subsecs. (g) to (i); P.A. 73-681 added Subsec. (a)(7) and prohibited issuance of prescription to “inanimate object or thing” in Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-165 referred to “federal registry” number rather than “BNDD” number in Subsec. (a)(7) and required one prescription per prescription blank; P.A. 77-277 added exception re Sec. 19-451a in Subsecs. (d) and (g); P.A. 78-310 added Subsec. (j); P.A. 82-419 amended section to allow more than one prescription on a blank except in case of schedule II substance, repealing Subsec. (g) which had required that filled prescriptions for controlled substances be filed separately, chronologically and consecutively; Sec. 19-457 transferred to Sec. 21a-249 in 1983; P.A. 83-156 added Subsec. (k) requiring filing of filled prescriptions for controlled substances separately, chronologically and consecutively; P.A. 85-613 made technical changes, deleting provision in Subsec. (j) which had required controlled substance prescriptions to be filed chronologically and consecutively; P.A. 91-224 amended Subsec. (c) to prohibit the prescription of Schedule II sympathomimetic amines as anorectics except as authorized by regulation; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-72 amended Subsecs. (d) and (h) to permit the use of electronically transmitted prescriptions; 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. 95-264 amended Subsec. (j) to change “licensed” practitioner to “prescribing” practitioner (Revisor’s note: The reference in Subsec. (j) to “prescribing practitioner, as defined in subdivision (21) of ...” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “prescribing practitioner, as defined in subdivision (22) of ...”); P.A. 97-64 added new Subsec. (1) re transfer of prescriptions; P.A. 00-182 amended Subsec. (l) by replacing reference to 21 CFR 1306.26 with reference to 21 USC 801 et seq. and regulations promulgated thereunder; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 05-73 added Subsec. (m) re the prescribing of anabolic steroids for the sole purpose of enhancing a patient’s athletic ability or performance, effective May 31, 2005; P.A. 09-22 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (b), added reference re schedule II prescriptions in writing in Subsec. (c), added references to Sec. 21a-244a and electronic record in Subsec. (d), replaced reference to federal laws and regulations with reference to the federal Controlled Substances Act in Subsec. (f) and added electronic file requirements and references to Secs. 21a-243 and 21a-244a in Subsec. (k), effective July 1, 2009.

See Sec. 17a-714a re legal protections for licensed health care professionals who prescribe opioid antagonists to drug users.

See Sec. 20-14a re use of generic drug names in prescriptions.

Annotation to former section 19-457:

Cited. 33 CS 66.

Annotation to present section:

Cited. 207 C. 698.