Daily pseudoephedrine sales limit

Question

A customer bought a nonprescription pseudoephedrine product at the pharmacy counter this morning, and the electronic logbook shows that sale already reached 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine (as base). The customer returns in the afternoon with a different payment card and asks for another package. Under federal law, what should the pharmacy technician do?

1. ADecline the sale, because the 3.6-gram daily limit applies to the purchaser across all transactions that day✓ Correct

   Correct. The daily cap is per purchaser per calendar day, no matter how many separate sales occur.

2. BComplete the sale, because the afternoon purchase is a separate transaction✗ Incorrect

   Incorrect. Splitting purchases into separate transactions does not reset the daily limit.

3. CComplete the sale if the customer chooses a liquid product instead of tablets✗ Incorrect

   Incorrect. The 3.6-gram base limit covers every scheduled listed chemical product, liquid or solid.

4. DComplete the sale if the customer shows a second photo ID✗ Incorrect

   Incorrect. Additional identification does not raise the daily quantity limit.

Answer

A. Decline the sale, because the 3.6-gram daily limit applies to the purchaser across all transactions that day

Rationale

The federal methamphetamine law (CMEA) caps what one buyer may receive in a calendar day at 3.6 grams of base pseudoephedrine, ephedrine or phenylpropanolamine, and every transaction that day counts toward the cap. Changing the payment card or dosage form does not create a new allowance. Federal law also limits an individual to 9 grams in 30 days, and where state law is stricter the stricter rule applies.