Section 10. Purpose and authority

Section 18.2-265.8 of the Code of Virginia requires all pharmacies and retailers in the Commonwealth of Virginia that sell over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine products (PSE) to participate in a statewide, real-time electronic PSE monitoring program for the purpose of tracking illegal PSE purchases. The Virginia Methamphetamine Precursor Information System is a web-accessed database available at no charge to pharmacies and retailers. Pursuant to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA) (Title VII of Pub. L. 109-177) pharmacies and retailers are currently required to capture certain data regarding PSE sales. This system enables pharmacies to easily enter the same PSE sales data currently being gathered online rather than recording the information into a manual log or in-store computer system. Data will be stored in a secure, central repository that treats the data collected as if it were HIPAA data. Furthermore, the collected data will be viewable (at no cost) by authorized city, state, and federal law enforcement in keeping with CMEA, the Code of Virginia, and these regulations.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 28, Issue 25, eff. January 1, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§ 18.2-265.8 of the Code of Virginia.