§30-5-3 When licensed pharmacist required; person not licensed pharmacist, pharmacy technician or licensed intern not to compound prescriptions or dispense poisons or narcotics; licensure of interns;
§30-5-3. When licensed pharmacist required; person not licensed pharmacist, pharmacy technician or licensed intern not to compound prescriptions or dispense poisons or narcotics; licensure of interns; prohibiting the dispensing of prescription orders in absence of practitioner-patient relationship.
(a) It is unlawful for any person not a pharmacist, or who does not employ a pharmacist, to conduct any pharmacy or store for the purpose of retailing, compounding or dispensing prescription drugs or prescription devices.
(b) It is unlawful for the proprietor of any store or pharmacy, any ambulatory health care facility, as that term is defined in section one, article five-b, chapter sixteen of this code, that offers pharmaceutical care, or a facility operated to provide health care or mental health care services free of charge or at a reduced rate and that operates a charitable clinic pharmacy to permit any person not a pharmacist to compound or dispense prescriptions or prescription refills or to retail or dispense the poisons and narcotic drugs named in sections two, three and six, article eight, chapter sixteen of this code: Provided, That a licensed intern may compound and dispense prescriptions or prescription refills under the direct supervision of a pharmacist: Provided, however, That registered pharmacy technicians may assist in the preparation and dispensing of prescriptions or prescription refills, including, but not limited to, reconstitution of liquid medications, typing and affixing labels under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
(c) It is the duty of a pharmacist or employer who employs an intern to license the intern with the board within ninety days after employment. The board shall furnish proper forms for this purpose and shall issue a certificate to the intern upon licensure.
(d) The experience requirement for licensure as a pharmacist shall be computed from the date certified by the supervising pharmacist as the date of entering the internship. If the internship is not registered with the Board of Pharmacy, then the intern shall receive no credit for such experience when he or she makes application for examination for licensure as a pharmacist: Provided, That credit may be given for such unregistered experience if an appeal is made and evidence produced showing experience was obtained but not registered and that failure to register the internship experience was not the fault of the intern.
(e) An intern having served part or all of his or her internship in a pharmacy in another state or foreign country shall be given credit for the same when the affidavit of his or her internship is signed by the pharmacist under whom he or she served, and it shows the dates and number of hours served in the internship and when the affidavit is attested by the secretary of the state Board of Pharmacy of the state or country where the internship was served.
(f) Up to one third of the experience requirement for licensure as a pharmacist may be fulfilled by an internship in a foreign country.
(g) No pharmacist may compound or dispense any prescription order when he or she has knowledge that the prescription was issued by a practitioner without establishing an ongoing practitioner-patient relationship. An online or telephonic evaluation by questionnaire is inadequate to establish an appropriate practitioner-patient relationship: Provided, That this prohibition does not apply:
(1) In a documented emergency;
(2) In an on-call or cross-coverage situation; or
(3) Where patient care is rendered in consultation with another practitioner who has an ongoing relationship with the patient and who has agreed to supervise the patient's treatment, including the use of any prescribed medications.