Wyoming News: Wyoming Legislative Update

June 8, 2011 9:29 AM

Originally published in the June 2011 Wyoming State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter

The sixty-first legislature of the state of Wyoming concluded its General Session in March 2011. Three bills of interest to pharmacy were passed. Senate File 0059 sponsored by Senator Floyd Esquibel of Laramie County adds synthetic cannibinoids (commonly known as “spice” chemicals) to Wyoming Statute 35-7-1014 hallucinogenic substances included in Schedule I. People from many different disciplines testified to the abuse of these substances, including Troy Brin, PharmD candidate.

House Bill 0069 states that “[W]ith the exception of dronabinal as listed in W.S. 35-7-1018(h) . . . no practitioner shall dispense or prescribe marijuana, tetrahydrocannibinol, or synthetic equivalents . . . ” This bill is in answer to problems when people are stopped in Wyoming on their way between Colorado and Montana where medical marijuana is legal.

House Bill 0062 has an effective date of July 1, 2011. This bill revised the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act in many sections. A task force composed of pharmacists, Department of Health Pharmacy Services staff, Department of Criminal Investigation staff, Board of Pharmacy members and staff, a nurse practitioner, Board of Medicine staff, Attorney General staff, and PharmD candidates met several times in 2010. The bill was sponsored by Representative Keith Gingery from Teton County and Senators Tony Ross (Laramie County) and Drew Perkins (Natrona County). Each Schedule (I through V) was updated with new listings from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Each schedule was reviewed for spelling and other corrections by Crystal Huntrods, PharmD candidate. In addition the “spice” chemicals and “bath salts” chemicals were added in Wyoming as Schedule I. Carisoprodol and tramadol will become Schedule IV controlled substances on July 1, 2011.

Registration requirements for practitioners will change from an annual to a two-year registration. The words “or electronic” were added to W.S. 35-7-1030 so that electronic prescriptions for controlled substances will be legal in Wyoming on July 1, 2011.
Regulations were revised to match Wyoming to the federal requirements for methamphetamine precursors. On July 1, 2011, Wyoming consumers will be able to purchase 3.6 grams of these drugs in one calendar day instead of 3 grams. The monthly limit will be 9 grams and the postal limit will be 7.5 grams. “No person may sell in a single retail transaction more than two (2) packages of a product containing methamphetamine precursor drugs” remains in the Wyoming statute. The requirements for record keeping in a log book were updated to the federal regulations. “The seller shall maintain a written or electronic list of such sales in a logbook that identifies the products by name, the quantity sold, the names and addresses of purchasers, and the date and time of the sales.” There was also a change to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program regulation relating to reports that can be provided.