Prescription drugs: labeling.

The Pharmacy Law provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law defines a prescription as including a legible, clear notice of the condition or purpose for which the drug is prescribed, if requested by the patient. Existing law prohibits a pharmacist from dispensing any prescription unless it is in a specified container that is correctly labeled to include, among other information, the condition or purpose for which the drug was prescribed if the condition or purpose is indicated on the prescription. A violation of the Pharmacy Law is a crime. This bill, beginning January 1, 2016, would require certain portions of the required information on the prescription label, including the name of the patient or patients, to be printed in at least a 12-point typeface. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 4076 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 493, that would become operative only if SB 493 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2014, and this bill is chaptered last. 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.