Ephedrine: retail sale.

(1) Existing law classifies controlled substances into 5 schedules, with the most restrictive limitations placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule I, and the least restrictive limitations placed on controlled substances classified in Schedule V. A controlled substance in any of the schedules may be possessed or dispensed only upon a lawful prescription, as specified. Existing law does not classify ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine within any of these 5 schedules, but provides that it is a crime, punishable as specified, for a person in this state who engages in specified transactions involving those drugs to fail to submit a report to the Department of Justice of all of those transactions, or to fail to submit an application to, and obtain a permit for the conduct of that business from, the Department of Justice, as specified. Existing law prohibits the sale of more than 3 packages or 9 grams of a nonprescription product containing ephedrine or the other drugs, as specified. This bill would instead provide that it is a misdemeanor, punishable as specified, for any retail distributor, except pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed practitioner with prescriptive authority, to sell or distribute to a person specified amounts of nonprescription products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine within specified time limits, to sell or distribute any of those substances to a person whose information has generated an alert, or, except under specified conditions, to sell or distribute to any purchaser a nonprescription product containing any amount of those substances. The bill would contain provisions requiring the secure storage and monitoring of products containing any amount of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, as specified. The bill would require retail distributors to transmit, on and after July 1, 2013, sale information to the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) for purposes of determining whether the sale would violate these provisions. The bill would require the Department of Justice to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators regarding the transaction records in NPLEx, as specified. The bill would provide that the information in the system may not be used for any purpose other than to meet the requirements of, or comply with, this act or a certain federal act, as specified. The bill would require that the system be available to the department and state law enforcement at no charge and would prohibit the Department of Justice or any other state agency from bearing any cost for the development, installation, or maintenance of the system. The bill would specify legislative findings and intent. The bill's provisions would remain in effect only until January 1, 2018. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.