Bill Text: NY A00714 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Regulates the sale of methamphetamine precursor drugs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to consumer affairs and protection [A00714 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A00714-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           714

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  BUTTENSCHON, GALEF, J. RIVERA, COLTON, CRUZ,
          ABINANTI, SAYEGH, GRIFFIN, PICHARDO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.
          SIMON  --  read once and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs
          and Protection

        AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation  to  the  sale  of
          over-the-counter methamphetamine precursor drugs

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
     2  391-oo to read as follows:
     3    § 391-oo. Sale of methamphetamine precursor drugs. 1. For the purposes
     4  of this section:
     5    (a) "methamphetamine precursor drug" shall mean any compound, mixture,
     6  or preparation containing  ephedrine  or  pseudoephedrine  as  its  sole
     7  active ingredient or as one of its active ingredients; and
     8    (b) "real-time stop sale system" means a system intended to be used by
     9  law enforcement agencies and pharmacies or other business establishments
    10  that:
    11    (A)  is  installed,  operated,  and maintained free of any one-time or
    12  recurring charge to the business establishment or to the state;
    13    (B) is able to communicate in real time with similar systems  operated
    14  in  other states and similar systems containing information submitted by
    15  more than one state;
    16    (C) complies with the security policy of the criminal justice informa-
    17  tion services division of the federal bureau of investigation;
    18    (D) complies  with  information  exchange  standards  adopted  by  the
    19  national information exchange model;
    20    (E)  uses a mechanism to prevent the completion of a sale of a product
    21  containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or non-pseudoephedrine that would

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00603-01-1

        A. 714                              2

     1  violate state or  federal  law  regarding  the  purchase  of  a  product
     2  containing those substances; and
     3    (F) is equipped with an override of the mechanism that:
     4    (i) may be activated by an employee of a business establishment; and
     5    (ii) creates a record of each activation of the override.
     6    2.  No  person,  firm,  corporation, partnership, association, limited
     7  liability company, or other entity shall sell to the same person, and  a
     8  person  shall  not purchase, products containing more than three and six
     9  tenths grams per day or more than nine grams per thirty  day  period  of
    10  ephedrine  or  pseudoephedrine  base, or their isomers. The limits shall
    11  apply to the total amount of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine contained  in
    12  the products, and not the overall weight of the products.
    13    3.  Any  person,  firm, corporation, partnership, association, limited
    14  liability company, or other entity that offers for sale  methamphetamine
    15  precursor  drugs in an over-the-counter sale shall ensure that all pack-
    16  ages of the drugs are displayed behind a checkout counter or in a locked
    17  case where the public is not permitted. Such person, firm,  corporation,
    18  partnership,  association,  limited  liability  company, or other entity
    19  shall:
    20    (a) require any  person  purchasing  a  nonprescription  product  that
    21  contains pseudoephedrine or ephedrine to present valid government issued
    22  photo identification at the point of sale.
    23    (b) record the name and address of the purchaser; name and quantity of
    24  product purchased; date and time purchased; and purchaser identification
    25  type  and  number,  such as driver license state and number, and require
    26  the purchaser's signature in a electronic or paper logbook.
    27    4. A person,  firm,  corporation,  partnership,  association,  limited
    28  liability company, or other entity shall, before completing a sale under
    29  this  section,  electronically  submit  the  required information to the
    30  real-time stop sale system administered by the division of state police;
    31  provided that the system is available without a charge to retailers  for
    32  access.  Absent  negligence,  wantonness,  recklessness,  or  deliberate
    33  misconduct, any retailer utilizing the electronic sales tracking  system
    34  in  accordance  with  this  subdivision shall not be civilly liable as a
    35  result of any act or omission in carrying out  the  duties  required  by
    36  this  section  and  shall  be  immune  from liability to any third party
    37  unless the retailer has  violated  any  provision  of  this  section  in
    38  relation to a claim brought for such violation.
    39    (a)  If a person, firm, corporation, partnership, association, limited
    40  liability company, or other entity  selling  a  nonprescription  product
    41  containing  pseudoephedrine or ephedrine experiences mechanical or elec-
    42  tronic failure of the electronic sales tracking system or  is  otherwise
    43  unable  to  comply  with  the electronic sales tracking requirement, the
    44  retailer shall maintain a  written  log  or  an  alternative  electronic
    45  recordkeeping  mechanism  until  such  time  as  the retailer is able to
    46  comply with the electronic sales tracking requirement.
    47    (b) The real-time stop sale system  shall  forward  state  transaction
    48  records in the real-time stop sale system to the appropriate state agen-
    49  cy  weekly,  and  provide  real-time  access  to the real-time stop sale
    50  system information through the system's online portal to law enforcement
    51  in the state as authorized by the agency.
    52    (c) This system shall be capable of  generating  a  stop  sale  alert,
    53  which  shall  be a notification that completion of the sale would result
    54  in the seller or purchaser violating the quantity limits  set  forth  in
    55  this  section.    The  seller  shall not complete the sale if the system
    56  generates a stop sale alert.  The system shall contain an override func-

        A. 714                              3

     1  tion that may be used by a dispenser of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine who
     2  has a reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm if they do not complete  a
     3  sale.  Each instance in which the override function is utilized shall be
     4  logged by the system.
     5    5. A violation of any provision of this section is a class A misdemea-
     6  nor, punishable by fine only.
     7    (a)  This  section  does not apply to a person who obtains the product
     8  pursuant to a valid prescription.
     9    (b)  Nothing  in  this  section  requires  the  buyer  to   obtain   a
    10  prescription for the purchase of any methamphetamine precursor drug.
    11    6.  Any  person,  firm, corporation, partnership, association, limited
    12  liability company, or other entity who  knowingly  violates  subdivision
    13  two,  three,  four  or  five  of  this section shall, for the first such
    14  violation, be subject to a civil penalty of not less  than  two  hundred
    15  fifty dollars nor more than one thousand dollars per violation, recover-
    16  able in an action by any enforcement authority designated by any munici-
    17  pality or political subdivision.
    18    7.  An  owner, operator, supervisor, or manager of any business entity
    19  that offers for sale methamphetamine precursor drugs whose  employee  or
    20  agent  is convicted of or charged with violating subdivision two, three,
    21  four or five of this section is not subject to the  civil  penalties  or
    22  criminal penalties for violating any of such subdivisions if the person:
    23    (a)  did  not  have  prior knowledge of, participate in, or direct the
    24  employee or agent to commit the violation; and
    25    (b) documents that an  employee  training  program  was  in  place  to
    26  provide  the employee or agent with information on the state and federal
    27  laws and regulations regarding methamphetamine precursor drugs.
    28    8. This section does not apply to:
    29    (a) methamphetamine precursor drugs certified by the  state  board  of
    30  pharmacy  as  being manufactured in a manner that prevents the drug from
    31  being used to manufacture methamphetamine; or
    32    (b) methamphetamine precursor  drugs  obtained  pursuant  to  a  valid
    33  prescription.
    34    9.  The  state board of pharmacy, in consultation with the division of
    35  state police, shall certify methamphetamine precursor  drugs  that  meet
    36  the  requirements  of paragraph (a) of subdivision eight of this section
    37  and publish an annual listing of such drugs.
    38    10. This section preempts all local ordinances or regulations  govern-
    39  ing  the  sale by a business establishment of products containing ephed-
    40  rine or pseudoephedrine. All ordinances enacted prior to  the  effective
    41  date of this section are void.
    42    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    43  it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    44  ment, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for  the  imple-
    45  mentation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and
    46  completed on or before such date.
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