2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 21a - Consumer Protection
Chapter 420b - Dependency-Producing Drugs
Section 21a-261 - (Formerly Sec. 19-468). Inspection of records. Entry on premises. Warrants and arrests.

(a) Every person required by section 21a-254 to prepare or obtain and keep records of controlled substances, and any carrier maintaining records with respect to any shipment containing any controlled substance, and every person in charge, or having custody, of such records shall, upon request of the Commissioner of Consumer Protection and his authorized agents, permit said commissioner and his authorized agents at reasonable times to have access to and copy such records.

(b) For the purposes of verification of such records and of the enforcement of this part, said commissioner and his agents, are authorized to enter, at reasonable times, any place, clinic, infirmary, correctional institution, care-giving institution, pharmacy, drug room, office, hospital, laboratory, factory, warehouse, establishment or vehicle in which any controlled substance is held, manufactured, compounded, processed, sold, delivered or otherwise disposed of and to inspect, within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, such place, clinic, infirmary, correctional institution, care-giving institution, pharmacy, drug room, office, hospital, laboratory, factory, warehouse, establishment or vehicle, and all pertinent equipment, finished and unfinished material, containers and labeling, and all things therein including records, files, papers, processes, controls and facilities, and to inventory any stock of any such controlled substance therein and obtain samples of any such substance, any labels or containers for such substance and of any finished and unfinished material.

(c) No inspection authorized by subsection (b) shall extend to (1) financial data, (2) sales data other than shipment data, (3) pricing data, (4) personnel data or (5) research data and secret processes or apparatus.

(d) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection and his authorized agents are authorized and empowered to obtain and serve search warrants and arrest warrants; to seize contraband controlled substances; and to make arrests without warrant for offenses under sections 21a-243 to 21a-282, inclusive, if the offense is committed in their presence or, in the case of a felony, if they have probable cause to believe that the person so arrested has committed, or is committing, such offense. The commissioner and his authorized agents when executing the powers authorized pursuant to this subsection, except when using deadly physical force, shall be deemed to be acting in the capacity of a peace officer as defined in subsection (9) of section 53a-3.

(1967, P.A. 555, S. 24; 1972, P.A. 278, S. 15; P.A. 73-681, S. 11, 29; P.A. 74-338, S. 18, 94; P.A. 84-190; P.A. 87-129, S. 5; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)

History: 1972 act substituted “substance(s)” for “drug(s)”, allowed inspection of any place, clinic, infirmary, correctional institution, care-giving institution, pharmacy or drug room in Subsec. (b) and replaced reference to repealed Sec. 19-450 with reference to Sec. 19-451 in Subsec. (d); P.A. 73-681 removed equal powers formerly held by commissioner of health under section; P.A. 74-338 made technical correction; Sec. 19-468 transferred to Sec. 21a-261 in 1983; P.A. 84-190 amended Subsec. (d) by providing that the commissioner and his authorized agents when executing their authorized powers, except the use of deadly physical force, are deemed to be acting in the capacity of peace officers; P.A. 87-129 substituted reference to Sec. 21a-243 for Sec. 21a-242, repealed by the same act; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner 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.

Cited. 207 C. 698.