Section 4729.51 | Selling, purchasing, distributing, or delivering dangerous or investigational drugs.
(A) No person other than a licensed manufacturer of dangerous drugs, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager of dangerous drugs, or wholesale distributor of dangerous drugs shall possess for sale, sell, distribute, or deliver, at wholesale, dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products, except as follows:
(1) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs that is a pharmacy may make occasional sales of dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products at wholesale.
(2) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs having more than one licensed location may transfer or deliver dangerous drugs from one licensed location to another licensed location owned by the terminal distributor if the license issued for each location is in effect at the time of the transfer or delivery.
(3) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs that is not a pharmacy may make occasional sales of the following at wholesale:
(a) Naloxone;
(b) Dangerous drugs if the drugs being sold are in shortage, as defined in rules adopted under section 4729.26 of the Revised Code;
(c) Dangerous drugs other than those described in divisions (A)(3)(a) and (b) of this section or investigational drugs or products if authorized by rules adopted under section 4729.26 of the Revised Code.
(B) No licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor shall possess for sale, sell, or distribute, at wholesale, dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products to any person other than the following:
(1) Subject to division (D) of this section, a licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs;
(2) Subject to division (C) of this section, any person exempt from licensure as a terminal distributor of dangerous drugs under section 4729.541 of the Revised Code;
(3) A licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor;
(4) A terminal distributor, manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor that is located in another state, is not engaged in the sale of dangerous drugs within this state, and is actively licensed to engage in the sale of dangerous drugs by the state in which the distributor conducts business.
(C) No licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor shall possess for sale, sell, or distribute, at wholesale, dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products to either of the following:
(1) A prescriber who is employed by either of the following:
(a) A pain management clinic that is not licensed as a terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with a pain management clinic classification issued under section 4729.552 of the Revised Code;
(b) A facility, clinic, or other location that provides office-based opioid treatment but is not licensed as a terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with an office-based opioid treatment classification issued under section 4729.553 of the Revised Code if such a license is required by that section.
(2) A business entity described in division (A)(2) or (3) of section 4729.541 of the Revised Code that is, or is operating, either of the following:
(a) A pain management clinic without a license as a terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with a pain management clinic classification issued under section 4729.552 of the Revised Code;
(b) A facility, clinic, or other location that provides office-based opioid treatment without a license as a terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with an office-based opioid treatment classification issued under section 4729.553 of the Revised Code if such a license is required by that section.
(D) No licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor shall possess dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products for sale at wholesale, or sell or distribute such drugs at wholesale, to a licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs, except as follows:
(1) In the case of a terminal distributor with a category II license, only dangerous drugs in category II, as defined in division (A)(1) of section 4729.54 of the Revised Code;
(2) In the case of a terminal distributor with a category III license, dangerous drugs in category II and category III, as defined in divisions (A)(1) and (2) of section 4729.54 of the Revised Code;
(3) In the case of a terminal distributor with a limited category II or III license, only the dangerous drugs specified in the license.
(E)(1) Except as provided in division (E)(2) of this section, no person shall do any of the following:
(a) Sell or distribute, at retail, dangerous drugs;
(b) Possess for sale, at retail, dangerous drugs;
(c) Possess dangerous drugs.
(2)(a) Divisions (E)(1)(a), (b), and (c) of this section do not apply to any of the following:
(i) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs;
(ii) A person who possesses, or possesses for sale or sells, at retail, a dangerous drug in accordance with Chapters 3719., 4715., 4723., 4725., 4729., 4730., 4731., and 4741. of the Revised Code;
(iii) Any of the persons identified in divisions (A)(1) to (5) and (13) of section 4729.541 of the Revised Code, but only to the extent specified in that section.
(b) Division (E)(1)(c) of this section does not apply to any of the following:
(i) A licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor;
(ii) Any of the persons identified in divisions (A)(6) to (12) of section 4729.541 of the Revised Code, but only to the extent specified in that section.
(F) No licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs or person that is exempt from licensure under section 4729.541 of the Revised Code shall purchase dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products from any person other than a licensed manufacturer, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager, or wholesale distributor, except as follows:
(1) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs or person that is exempt from licensure under section 4729.541 of the Revised Code may make occasional purchases of dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products that are sold in accordance with division (A)(1) or (3) of this section.
(2) A licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs having more than one licensed location may transfer or deliver dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products from one licensed location to another licensed location if the license issued for each location is in effect at the time of the transfer or delivery.
(G) No licensed terminal distributor of dangerous drugs shall engage in the retail sale or other distribution of dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products or maintain possession, custody, or control of dangerous drugs or investigational drugs or products for any purpose other than the distributor's personal use or consumption, at any establishment or place other than that or those described in the license issued by the state board of pharmacy to such terminal distributor.
(H) Nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with the performance of official duties by any law enforcement official authorized by municipal, county, state, or federal law to collect samples of any drug, regardless of its nature or in whose possession it may be.
(I) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, the board of education of a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district may distribute epinephrine autoinjectors for use in accordance with section 3313.7110 of the Revised Code and may distribute inhalers for use in accordance with section 3313.7113 of the Revised Code.
Available Versions of this Section
- June 16, 2014 – House Bill 483 - 130th General Assembly [ View June 16, 2014 Version ]
- July 16, 2015 – House Bill 4 - 131st General Assembly [ View July 16, 2015 Version ]
- February 1, 2016 – House Bill 39 - 131st General Assembly [ View February 1, 2016 Version ]
- September 8, 2016 – House Bill 200 - 131st General Assembly [ View September 8, 2016 Version ]
- April 6, 2017 – House Bill 290, Senate Bill 319 - 131st General Assembly [ View April 6, 2017 Version ]
- September 29, 2017 – Amended by House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly [ View September 29, 2017 Version ]
- March 22, 2019 – Amended by Senate Bill 229 - 132nd General Assembly [ View March 22, 2019 Version ]
- December 16, 2020 – Amended by House Bill 341 - 133rd General Assembly [ View December 16, 2020 Version ]
- April 12, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 231, House Bill 341 - 133rd General Assembly [ View April 12, 2021 Version ]
- September 23, 2022 – Amended by House Bill 193 - 134th General Assembly [ View September 23, 2022 Version ]
- April 6, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 558 - 134th General Assembly [ View April 6, 2023 Version ]
- October 3, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly [ View October 3, 2023 Version ]