(a) (1) (A) Any manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, or any other person or entity in this state that sells, transfers, or otherwise furnishes any substance specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11100 to a person or business entity in this state or any other state or who obtains from a source outside of the state any substance specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11100 shall submit an application to, and obtain a permit for the conduct of that business from, the Department of Justice. For any substance added to the list set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 11100 on or after January 1, 2002, the Department of Justice may postpone the effective date of the requirement for a permit for a period not to exceed six months from the listing date of the substance.
(B) An intracompany transfer does not require a permit if the transferor is a permittee. Transfers between company partners or between a company and an analytical laboratory do not require a permit if the transferor is a permittee and a report as to the nature and extent of the transfer is made to the Department of Justice pursuant to Section 11100 or 11100.1.
(C) This paragraph shall not apply to any manufacturer, wholesaler, or wholesale distributor who is licensed by the California State Board of Pharmacy and also registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States Department of Justice; any pharmacist or other authorized person who sells or furnishes a substance upon the prescription of a physician, dentist, podiatrist, or veterinarian; any state-licensed health care facility, physician, dentist, podiatrist, veterinarian, or veterinary food-animal drug retailer licensed by the California State Board of Pharmacy that administers or furnishes a substance to a patient; or any analytical research facility that is registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States Department of Justice.
(D) This paragraph shall not apply to the sale, transfer, furnishing, or receipt of any betadine or povidone solution with an iodine content not exceeding 1 percent in containers of eight ounces or less, or any tincture of iodine not exceeding 2 percent in containers of one ounce or less, that is sold over the counter.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), no permit shall be required of any manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, or other person or entity for the sale, transfer, furnishing, or obtaining of any product which contains ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine and which is lawfully sold, transferred, or furnished over the counter without a prescription or by a prescription pursuant to the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 301 et seq.) or regulations adopted thereunder.
(3) A permit shall be required for the sale, transfer, furnishing, or obtaining of preparations in solid or liquid dosage form containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, unless (A) the transaction involves the sale of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine products by retail distributors as defined by this article over the counter and without a prescription, or (B) the transaction is made by a person or business entity exempted from the permitting requirements of this subdivision under paragraph (1).
(b) (1) The department shall provide application forms, which are to be completed under penalty of perjury, in order to obtain information relating to the identity of any applicant applying for a permit, including, but not limited to, the business name of the applicant or the individual name, and if a corporate entity, the names of its board of directors, the business in which the applicant is engaged, the business address of the applicant, a full description of any substance to be sold, transferred, or otherwise furnished or to be obtained, the specific purpose for the use, sale, or transfer of those substances specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11100, the training, experience, or education relating to this use, and any additional information requested by the department relating to possible grounds for denial as set forth in this section, or by applicable regulations adopted by the department.
(2) The requirement for the specific purpose for the use, sale, or transfer of those substances specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11100 does not require applicants or permittees to reveal their chemical processes that are typically considered trade secrets and proprietary business information.
(c) Applicants and permittees shall authorize the department, or any of its duly authorized representatives, as a condition of being permitted, to make any examination of the books and records of any applicant, permittee, or other person, or visit and inspect the business premises of any applicant or permittee during normal business hours, as deemed necessary to enforce this chapter.
(d) An application may be denied, or a permit may be revoked or suspended, for reasons which include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Materially falsifying an application for a permit or an application for the renewal of a permit.
(2) If any individual owner, manager, agent, representative, or employee for the applicant who has direct access, management, or control for any substance listed under subdivision (a) of Section 11100, is or has been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony relating to any of the substances listed under subdivision (a) of Section 11100, any misdemeanor drug-related offense, or any felony under the laws of this state or the United States.
(3) Failure to maintain effective controls against the diversion of precursors to unauthorized persons or entities.
(4) Failure to comply with this article or any regulations of the department adopted thereunder.
(5) Failure to provide the department, or any duly authorized federal or state official, with access to any place for which a permit has been issued, or for which an application for a permit has been submitted, in the course of conducting a site investigation, inspection, or audit; or failure to promptly produce for the official conducting the site investigation, inspection, or audit any book, record, or document requested by the official.
(6) Failure to provide adequate documentation of a legitimate business purpose involving the applicant’s or permittee’s use of any substance listed in subdivision (a) of Section 11100.
(7) Commission of any act which would demonstrate actual or potential unfitness to hold a permit in light of the public safety and welfare, which act is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of a permitholder.
(8) If any individual owner, manager, agent, representative, or employee for the applicant who has direct access, management, or control for any substance listed under subdivision (a) of Section 11100, willfully violates or has been convicted of violating, any federal, state, or local criminal statute, rule, or ordinance regulating the manufacture, maintenance, disposal, sale, transfer, or furnishing of any of those substances.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an investigation of an individual applicant’s qualifications, or the qualifications of an applicant’s owner, manager, agent, representative, or employee who has direct access, management, or control of any substance listed under subdivision (a) of Section 11100, for a permit may include review of his or her summary criminal history information pursuant to Sections 11105 and 13300 of the Penal Code, including, but not limited to, records of convictions, regardless of whether those convictions have been expunged pursuant to Section 1203.4 of the Penal Code, and any arrests pending adjudication.
(f) The department may retain jurisdiction of a canceled or expired permit in order to proceed with any investigation or disciplinary action relating to a permittee.
(g) The department may grant permits on forms prescribed by it, which shall be effective for not more than one year from the date of issuance and which shall not be transferable. Applications and permits shall be uniform throughout the state, on forms prescribed by the department.
(h) Each applicant shall pay at the time of filing an application for a permit a fee determined by the department which shall not exceed the application processing costs of the department.
(i) A permit granted pursuant to this article may be renewed one year from the date of issuance, and annually thereafter, following the timely filing of a complete renewal application with all supporting documents, the payment of a permit renewal fee not to exceed the application processing costs of the department, and a review of the application by the department.
(j) Selling, transferring, or otherwise furnishing or obtaining any substance specified in subdivision (a) of Section 11100 without a permit is a misdemeanor or a felony.
(k) (1) No person under 18 years of age shall be eligible for a permit under this section.
(2) No business for which a permit has been issued shall employ a person under 18 years of age in the capacity of a manager, agent, or representative.
(l) (1) An applicant, or an applicant’s employees who have direct access, management, or control of any substance listed under subdivision (a) of Section 11100, for an initial permit shall submit with the application one set of 10-print fingerprints for each individual acting in the capacity of an owner, manager, agent, or representative for the applicant, unless the applicant’s employees are exempted from this requirement by the Department of Justice. These exemptions may only be obtained upon the written request of the applicant.
(2) In the event of subsequent changes in ownership, management, or employment, the permittee shall notify the department in writing within 15 calendar days of the changes, and shall submit one set of 10-print fingerprints for each individual not previously fingerprinted under this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 468, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2006.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018