Pharmaceutical Firms

Washington State Methamphetamine Precursor Electronic Tracking System

The 2010 Washington Legislature passed RCW 69.43.110 to restrict the sale and purchase of nonprescription products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine or their salts or isomers, or salts of isomers. The enforcement date is October 15, 2011.

The law:

  • Requires pharmacies and retailers to keep nonprescription (over-the-counter) products containing methamphetamine precursors behind the counter where the public is not permitted or in a locked display case where it is not accessible to customers without assistance;
  • Requires the retailer to record the name and address of the purchase, the date and time of the sale, the name and the initials of the person conducting the transaction, the name of the product sold, and the total quantity in grams of the precursors being sold;
  • Requires the customer to electronically or manually sign a record of any transactions when purchasing methamphetamine precursors;
  • Updates the sales limits to match the federal restrictions – daily sales limit of 3.6 grams per purchaser and prohibits a purchaser from buying more than nine grams during a 30-day period; and
  • Requires the Pharmacy Commission to implement a real-time electronic sales tracking system.

Adopt rules: chapter 246-889

If your pharmacy sells ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and/or pheylprapanolamine containing non-prescription products you'll need to set up an account to access and report to the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx).

Methamphetamine Precursor Electronic Tracking/Monitoring System

The National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) will:

  • Be provided without cost to retailers. This doesn't include costs relating to Internet access, optional hardware or other equipment.
  • Immediately notify the retailer if a sale will exceed legal limits.
  • Allow the retailer to override the stop-sale alert if the retailer is in reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm.
  • Be accessible to law enforcement for investigative purposes.

Optional Scanners

The NPLEx retail Web portal doesn't require any scanner hardware. However, pharmacies interested in further enhancing their workflow have the option of purchasing scanners that will scan 2D Driver's License, product UPC, and capture signature. The commission doesn't require any scanners to participate in NPLEx. If your pharmacy is interested in obtaining more information on a scanner or has more questions, email WANPLEx@appriss.com.

Point-of-Sale Integration

Appriss, the software provider of NPLEx, has also completed or is in the process of developing integrations with several point-of-sale (POS) vendors. By integrating with the POS software, transactions can be submitted directly to NPLEx from you point-of-sale system instead of using the NPLEx retail Web portal. For more information on whether you can integrate your POS vendor with NPLEx, please have your POS vendor contact Appriss at WANPLEx@appriss.com.

Unless granted an exemption by the commission in accordance with RCW 69.43.110, your participation is required.