Title: Drug Safety

Summary: Requires warning label meeting certain requirements to be applied to specified opioids dispensed by pharmacists or practitioners; requires pharmacies to offer for sale prescription lock boxes; authorizes DOH to develop & distribute pamphlet.

Full Text:
An act relating to drug safety; amending s. 893.04, F.S.; requiring a warning label meeting certain requirements to be applied to specified opioids dispensed by pharmacists or practitioners; amending s. 893.055, F.S.; requiring pharmacies to offer for sale prescription lock boxes; requiring pharmacies to display a certain sign; defining the term "prescription lock box"; authorizing the Department of Health to develop and distribute a pamphlet containing certain information; providing for the distribution of the pamphlet by pharmacists in certain circumstances; prohibiting a pharmacy from charging a fee for the pamphlet; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 893.04, Florida Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (5) and a new subsection (4) is added to that section, to read: 893.04 Pharmacist and practitioner.-(4) A pharmacist or practitioner shall not dispense a newly-prescribed prescription opioid listed in Schedule II, including one that is compounded by a pharmacist under a prescription or by a practitioner, unless the prescription HB 2018 bottle or container in which the controlled substance is delivered to the user, has applied to it a warning sticker approved by the department that warns users concerning the addictive nature of opioids and the risks of overdoses. Such a label may also refer users to additional resources about opioid addiction. The label should be red with text large enough to be legible and placed on the cap of the bottle in which the opioid is dispensed. If a bottle is not used to dispense the opioid, the label shall be on a noticeable area of the container in which the opioid is dispensed. Section 2. Subsections (15) through (18) of section 893.055, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (17) through (20), respectively, and new subsections (15) and (16) are added to that section, to read: 893.055 Prescription drug monitoring program.-(15) Pharmacies shall offer for sale prescription lock boxes at each store location. Pharmacies shall make customers aware of the availability of the prescription lock boxes by displaying a sign on or near the pharmacy counter which measures at least inches by inches and includes the statement, in a legibly printed font, "Prescription Lock Boxes for Securing Your Prescription Medications Are Available at This Pharmacy." As used in this subsecti on, the term "prescription lock box" means a box or a bag with a locking mechanism that cannot be tampered with or opened without the application of extreme force. HB 2018 (16)(a) The department may develop a written pamphlet relating to controlled substances wh ich includes educational information about the following: 1. Precautions regarding the use of pain management prescriptions. 2. The potential for misuse and abuse of controlled substances by adults and children. 3. The risk of controlled substance de pendency and addiction. 4. The proper storage and disposal of controlled substances. 5. Controlled substance addiction support and treatment resources. 6. Telephone helplines and website links that provide counseling and emergency assistance for indi viduals dealing with substance abuse. (b) If the department develops a written pamphlet relating to controlled substances, the department shall distribute copies of the pamphlet to pharmacies throughout the state and make the contents of the pamphlet ava ilable in electronic form on its website. If copies of the pamphlet are provided by the department, a pharmacist shall distribute the pamphlet to a consumer when dispensing a prescription or a controlled substance and shall offer them to consumers in a dis play. Pharmacies may not charge consumers a fee for the pamphlet. HB 2018 Section 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2019.