(1) It is unlawful for a pharmacy licensed by, or shopkeeper or itinerant vendor registered with, the department of health under chapter 18.64 RCW, or an employee thereof, or a practitioner as defined in RCW 18.64.011, knowingly to sell, transfer, or to otherwise furnish, in a single transaction a total of more than 3.6 grams of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, in any twenty-four hour period or more than a total of nine grams per purchaser in any thirty-day period.

(2) It is unlawful for a person who is not a manufacturer, wholesaler, pharmacy, practitioner, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor licensed by or registered with the department of health under chapter 18.64 RCW to purchase or acquire more than 3.6 grams in any twenty-four hour period, or more than a total of nine grams in any thirty-day period, of the substances specified in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to sell or distribute any of the substances specified in subsection (1) of this section unless the person is licensed by or registered with the department of health under chapter 18.64 RCW, or is a practitioner as defined in RCW 18.64.011.

(4)(a) Beginning July 1, 2011, or the date upon which the electronic sales tracking system established under RCW 69.43.165 is available, whichever is later, a pharmacy licensed by, or shopkeeper or itinerant vendor registered with, the department of health under chapter 18.64 RCW shall, before completing a sale under this section, submit the required information to the electronic sales tracking system established under RCW 69.43.165, as long as such a system is available without cost to the pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor for accessing the system. The pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor may not complete the sale if the system generates a stop sale alert, except as permitted in RCW 69.43.165.

(b) If a pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor selling a nonprescription drug containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, or their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers experiences mechanical or electronic failure of the electronic sales tracking system and is unable to comply with the electronic sales tracking requirement, he or she shall maintain a written log or an alternative electronic recordkeeping mechanism until such time as he or she is able to comply with the electronic sales tracking requirement.

(c) A pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor selling a nonprescription drug containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, or their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers may seek an exemption from submitting transactions to the electronic sales tracking system in writing to the pharmacy quality assurance commission stating the reasons for the exemption. The commission may grant an exemption for good cause shown, but in no event shall a granted exemption exceed one hundred eighty days. The commission may grant multiple exemptions for any pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor if the good cause shown indicates significant hardship for compliance with this section. A pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor that receives an exemption shall maintain a logbook in hard copy form and must require the purchaser to provide the information required under this section before the completion of any sale. The logbook shall be maintained as a record of each sale for inspection by any law enforcement officer or commission inspector during normal business hours in accordance with any rules adopted pursuant to RCW 69.43.165. For purposes of this subsection (4)(c), “good cause” includes, but is not limited to, situations where the installation of the necessary equipment to access the system is unavailable or cost-prohibitive to the pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor.

(d) A pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor may withdraw from participating in the electronic sales tracking system if the system is no longer being furnished without cost for accessing the system. A pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor who withdraws from the electronic sales tracking system is subject to the same requirements as a pharmacy, shopkeeper, or itinerant vendor who has been granted an exemption under (c) of this subsection.

(e) For the purposes of this subsection (4) and RCW 69.43.165:

(i) “Cost for accessing the system” means costs relating to:

(A) Access to the web-based electronic sales tracking software, including inputting and retrieving data;

(B) The web-based software known as software as a service;

(C) Training; and

(D) Technical support to integrate to point of sale vendors, if necessary.

(ii) “Cost for accessing the system” does not include:

(A) Costs relating to required internet access;

(B) Optional hardware that a pharmacy may choose to purchase for workflow purposes; or

(C) Other equipment.

(5) A violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor.

Finding—Effective dates—Severability—2005 c 388: See notes following RCW 69.43.105.

Finding—Severability—Effective date—2004 c 52: See notes following RCW 18.64.044.

Intent—Severability—2001 c 96: See notes following RCW 69.43.010.