Bill > S958

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, provided 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 under these new provisions will not be considered a crime. Furthermore, it makes it a disorderly persons offense, a less serious legal classification than a crime, for someone to buy a syringe or needle and then resell it to another person. Pharmacies selling these items must keep them behind the sales counter and provide purchasers with information, developed by the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy, on safe disposal and substance abuse treatment resources, available in English or Spanish. The Board of Pharmacy is tasked with creating this informational material and making it accessible online, and will also adopt necessary regulations to implement these changes, with the law taking effect 180 days after enactment.