Bill > A1088

This bill permits licensed pharmacies in New Jersey to sell hypodermic syringes and needles, which are instruments used for injecting drugs, to individuals over 18 years old without a prescription if they purchase 10 or fewer. If more than 10 are purchased, a prescription from an authorized prescriber is required. The bill also clarifies that possessing a syringe or needle purchased under these new provisions will not be considered a criminal offense. However, reselling a purchased syringe or needle to another person will be a disorderly persons offense, a less serious legal infraction than the previously proposed fourth-degree crime. Pharmacies must keep these items behind the sales counter and provide purchasers with information, developed by the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy, on safe disposal of the instruments and resources for substance abuse treatment, available in English or Spanish. The Board of Pharmacy will also establish rules and regulations to implement these changes, and the bill will take effect 180 days after being signed into law, allowing for preparatory administrative actions.