2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 21a - Consumer Protection
Chapter 420b - Dependency-Producing Drugs
Section 21a-272 - (Formerly Sec. 19-475). Preparations which may be sold and dispensed. Exceptions.
(a) The following preparations may be sold at retail in pharmacies and dispensed by hospitals, dentists, veterinarians and physicians without a prescription or written order, in quantities of not more than the amounts stated to any one person, or for the use of any one person or animal within forty-eight consecutive hours: (1) Four fluid ounces of Stokes expectorant, (2) four fluid ounces of Brown mixture, (3) eight fluid ounces of any preparation which contains camphorated tincture of opium or the opium equivalent not to exceed 16.2 mg. of opium in one fluid ounce and from which the camphorated tincture of opium or the opium equivalent cannot be easily extracted.
(b) The exceptions authorized by this section shall be subject to the following conditions: (1) That the medicinal preparation administered, dispensed or sold shall contain, in addition to the morphine-type substance in it some drug or drugs conferring upon it medicinal qualities other than those possessed by the morphine-type substance alone; and (2) that such preparation shall be administered, dispensed and sold in good faith as a medicine and not for the purpose of evading the provisions of this part; and (3) that the purchaser of such preparations shall not purchase or attempt to obtain such preparations for the purpose of sustaining or satisfying a dependency upon controlled drugs; provided no vendor shall be deemed to have violated this subdivision unless he knew or should have known of such improper purpose; and (4) that the seller keep a schedule V record, as required by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, of the full name and address of the person purchasing the medicinal preparation, in the handwriting of the purchaser, the name and quantity of the preparation sold and the time and date of sale; and (5) that whenever a pharmacist sells or dispenses any schedule V substance which, under the provisions of this section, is excepted from prescriptions or written orders, the pharmacist shall securely affix to each package in which such drug is contained a label showing the name and address of the pharmacy. No person shall alter, deface or remove any label so affixed and no person shall have under his control or in his possession any such drug if not so labeled; and (6) that no provisions of this section shall be construed to permit the purchase, within any forty-eight-hour period by any one person or for use of any one person or animal of more than one excepted schedule V preparation specified in subsection (a) or in more than the maximum amounts allowed under subsection (a) except as authorized by other provisions of this part.
(c) (1) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may, by regulation, exempt from the application of said sections to such extent as he determines to be consistent with the public welfare, pharmaceutical preparations containing schedule V substances found by said commissioner, after due notice and opportunity for hearing: (A) To possess no liability for drug abuse and dependency sufficient to warrant imposition of all of the requirements of said sections, and (B) not to permit recovery of a controlled substance having such liability for drug abuse and dependence with such relative technical simplicity and degree of yield as to create a risk of improper use. (2) In exercising the authority granted in subdivision (1) the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, by regulation pursuant to section 21a-243 and without special findings, may grant exempt status to such pharmaceutical preparations as are determined to be exempt under the federal Controlled Substances Act and regulations and permit the administering, dispensing or selling of such preparations under the same conditions as permitted by the federal regulations dealing therewith.
(d) After due notice and hearing, the Commissioner of Consumer Protection may determine that a pharmaceutical preparation exempted from the oral or written prescription requirement under the provisions of this section does possess a potential for drug abuse and dependence and may, by regulation pursuant to section 21a-243, withdraw the prior exemption. Such determination shall be final, and, after the expiration of a period of six months from the date of issuance of the regulation, the exempt status shall cease to apply to the particular pharmaceutical preparation.
(1967, P.A. 555, S. 31; 1972, P.A. 278, S. 20; P.A. 73-681, S. 14, 29; P.A. 79-12, S. 5, 6; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: 1972 act deleted permission to sell without prescription up to one-half ounce of camphorated tincture of opium (paregoric) and up to four fluid ounces of preparation containing not more than two grains of papaverine or its salts per fluid ounce and allowed such sales for up to eight fluid ounces of camphorated tincture of opium or its equivalent as specified in Subsec. (a)(3), substituted “substance(s)” for “drugs(s)”, “Schedule V” substance for “morphine-type” drug and “Federal Controlled Substances Act” for “federal narcotic laws”; P.A. 73-681 replaced public health council with commissioner of consumer protection; P.A. 79-12 deleted permission to sell without prescription up to four fluid ounces of preparation containing not more than two grains of noscapine or its salts per fluid ounce; Sec. 19-475 transferred to Sec. 21a-272 in 1983; 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. 21 CA 403.
