SB344 Alabama 2012 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Del MarshDick BrewbakerBill Holtzclaw

Session

Regular Session 2012

Title

Methamphetamines, further regulation of the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products, licensed pharmacies solely authorized to sell, criminal penalties enhanced, membership of Alabama Drug Abuse Task Force revised, Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center to create an electronic drug offender tracking system, Secs. 13A-12-260, 20-2-190 am'd; Sec. 20-2-190.2 added

Summary

SB344 tightens control of meth precursors by restricting ephedrine/pseudoephedrine sales to licensed pharmacies, adding purchaser tracking and drug-offender tracking, and boosting penalties and oversight.

What This Bill Does

It restricts the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products to licensed pharmacies and requires sale to be conducted by licensed pharmacists, technicians, or supervised staff. It sets daily and 30‑day purchase limits, requires buyers to be at least 18 and to show government-issued photo ID, and records key sale details in an electronic tracking system. It creates a real-time drug offender tracking system to log drug-related convictions and ties stop-sale alerts to purchases, with an override option when there is fear of bodily harm. It expands penalties for violations, revises the Alabama Drug Abuse Task Force, requires reports to the Legislature, and adds broader rules for drug paraphernalia and related offenses.

Who It Affects

• Licensed pharmacies and their employees, who must follow stricter sale rules, packaging, behind-counter storage, and required record-keeping.
• Consumers and drug offenders in Alabama, who would face purchase limits, identity verification, and tracking under state systems, plus enhanced penalties for violations.

Key Provisions

• Sale of ephedrine/pseudoephedrine products allowed only through licensed pharmacies; sales must be conducted by a pharmacist, a licensed pharmacy technician, or a supervised pharmacy employee.
• Products with 30 mg or more of ephedrine/pseudoephedrine per tablet must be blister packaged (not loose in bottles); packaging and storage must be behind a counter or in a locked display case.
• Purchase limits: no more than 3.6 grams per calendar day and no more than 67.5 grams (nine 7.5-gram units) per 30 days; buyers must provide 18+ and government-issued photo ID and sign a transaction record with detailed data.
• An electronic sales tracking system shall be implemented to monitor all sales of these products; system alerts stop-sale conditions and allows an override when there is fear of bodily harm; data must be accessible to law enforcement.
• A real-time electronic drug offender tracking system (Section 20-2-190.2) will catalog convictions related to drug offenses, with 7-year retention for possession/paraphernalia and 10-year retention for manufacture/distribution/trafficking; the system will interface with national and state databases and generate stop-sale alerts for drug offenders.
• The Alabama Drug Abuse Task Force (ADATF) membership is revised, with duties including program development, reporting to the Legislature, and coordinating training and prevention efforts; public reporting on diversity and program effectiveness is required.
• Penalties for violations related to drug paraphernalia and prohibited sales are specified (Class A misdemeanors for initial offenses, rising to Class C felonies for subsequent offenses; additional penalties if firearms are involved).
• The bill explicitly notes that, despite its local-funding implications, it is exempt from certain local expenditure requirements because it creates new crimes or changes existing ones.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Crimes and Offenses