Pharmacists: furnishing contraceptives.

Assembly Member Bonta anchors a shift in how California pharmacies handle contraception by separating prescription-based provision, which continues under board-approved protocols and risk screening, from over-the-counter access that may be furnished without those protocols, and by allowing a 12-month supply to be furnished at a patient’s request, with immediate effect.

Under the prescription pathway, the bill confines the standardized procedures and risk-screening framework to self-administered hormonal contraceptives that require a prescription, requiring a self-screening tool aligned with established medical criteria and a referral to a primary care provider or nearby clinics when indicated. It also preserves a formal requirements for a standardized patient-facing factsheet detailing indications, contraindications, proper use, and follow-up. Enforcement for this pathway falls to the appropriate licensing boards, with both boards sharing responsibility for compliance among their licensees. For emergency contraception, the measure creates two avenues: a protocoled pathway developed by the pharmacist in collaboration with an authorized prescriber, and a board-approved, joint-protocol pathway with external professional consultation, accompanied by a mandatory training requirement of at least one hour of continuing education and price-disclosure provisions. For all prescription-based items furnished under this framework, the bill maintains coordination with the patient’s primary care provider, including notification or entry of information into a shared record, where allowed.

The OTC contraceptive pathway is expressly allowed to proceed without the standardized procedures or protocols required for prescription-only products, while still requiring the provision of a standardized factsheet for emergency contraception and for prescription-based self-administered contraceptives. A notable provision is the up-to-12-month supply authorization: pharmacists may dispense up to a year’s supply at a patient’s request for FDA-approved self-administered contraceptives, whether prescribed under the protocol framework or furnished as OTC products, subject to the conditions set forth in the bill and related regulatory guidance. The measure also expands, codifies, or clarifies pharmacist authorities to perform related functions—such as administering drugs, transmitting prescriptions, coordinating with other providers, ordering and interpreting tests, and engaging in collaborative practice arrangements—within the confines of existing confidentiality and licensing requirements. Pricing and access provisions accompany these changes, including a modest administrative fee cap for emergency contraception and a requirement to disclose total retail price on request, with protections for insured patients.

Implementation and oversight are characterized by immediate-effect timing and the explicit assignment of enforcement to the state Board of Pharmacy and the Medical Board of California, each supervising its respective licensees. Boards are tasked with developing or confirming protocols, ensuring self-screening tools reflect current guidance, producing standardized patient-facing materials, and establishing processes for compliance and referrals. The measure preserves the broader regulatory structure, including confidentiality protections and the interaction with federal registration requirements for pharmacists authorized to initiate or adjust controlled-substance therapies. In parallel, the bill preserves a role for transition and guidance from professional associations and public health bodies in shaping the accompanying materials and standards. With no new appropriation stated, the fiscal considerations focus on potential regulatory costs, pharmacy administration, and payer dynamics, while the urgency clause signals an aim to accelerate access to contraception across the state.