Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

‘198 1 .+ OFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN in Bononb& It.0. Pherr couatf Attorney l3fJlte Bounty cooper, Texas d bevo on duty et phmwmi ea in operation es e pher- et tvm(ll) years in the t1oa1 subdivisionin t.ie lobIght.'(6@yl,gee. 0. 18, P.C.) Tour opfnion ie rsquestsd as to the oonatiuo- tion-of fhs~norde,'*....must have Ibsenin operation as a pharmaop-ioret least two.(2) y~ra....( "The.ieotsupon whioh thhiemqitest for opinion is based em aa Zollovra:. wAbcmt $5 year6 ego i&e City BTU& Store, e' 'pher~aaoy,.nra~ establishedin the bity of Cooper, 199 Honorable Is.0. Pharr, Page 2 Z)s1taCounty, It was owaed and operated .a8a pharuaoy by the same sah until he sold the busimss in January of 1939. On the 9th day of Heroh 1959, the City hug Store was levied. upon by the tax colleotorof Delta Oounty Sov delinquent tares. The store was closed on that date by eaid taxcolleotor, On the,22ud day of kaharah, lQ39, the City Drug Store, was sold at publia auetlon to Delta C.ouatyaud other taxiagunits havfug delinquenttaxes against it, On April 29, 19.959,Delta County and other taxing units sold~saldUlty Drl)rug Store-to an Individualpurohaser,ivho;on April 90,.19SQ re- opened the store far business. The,store' (phapnacy)was .olosedbetweeqharoh 9, 1999 and April 29, 1999, a period of iftty (50).. bgl3. The keys were In the haads of the tax colleetar 0r Delta county. The.store was not In operation during those rifty (SO) days. *The City Drug Stare ea auchlas been xe- gieterea with the State Board of Pharmaay for many yeara. It hes been located In Coeper,et leaet 55 .yeere. It hao been In operatiaoas a phenuaoy all this time with the exception of the JO days from PIareh9, 19SQ to April 29, lQS9. Wubseation 10 of Section 15 of the.Texas Llauor Contiol Aat states that the pharmar must *have beeoin operationas a phaimaoy~~ibr at few& two [2) yeers* betore it h 11 1 z sedi&&pemt to ,dibpens81iqUaE ;or ~%O~t Tuder the above stateme& ai iacts,'is the City hug Store in Cooper entitled to reoeive a Eediainal Permit at this time? eon April 1, 1940 the owner of said City Drug Store made applicationto the Texas Liquor Control Board ror a.uedioinalperait. As eouaty attorney or Delta CoGty, it is my privilege to oontest thie application under authority Of said ~quor.Coutrol Aot. *I amuuable tom,rmd any euthoritiee on thie question sod am unable to find where your department 200 Bonaabla B. k.'Pharr,Page'S has ever passed :authi,squestion. ~mDeltci-County.has haketoforevoted *&ry.* 1% $8 OUP vplnlon that we shvuld be alltied tv ren&n dry.'.We aannot da 80 rith a liquor drug crtoly.in’ oar aounty. We here none et thiktime. It 5+ inyopinion that the llqaer lawe~ehouid be aonatrued.svas to aocomplish the vnl'oroement of the y?ishvs~vfthe people. Under the lo&m regu- lat$vus whioh'the'. lew~~lmposeson liquor thug tbtorbs,they anou&to hothIng,.less. than a package e-torein a wet area. "AZ%.~-606-.&'P..C;reads a8 foittms: ~~Vhis eatire ,aotsha&l;ba ;deemed an'exeratae oi the pi>lice.p~er.o~~the State far'the-proteation.vf the hlf&e, health, peaoe, temperahoe,and stiety'of the'people of the States,aud..aU.its. provisions shall be l$beralij'aoniat~e& for the aoooaplisbrentvf that purposv.* .'%?a#& years agvwhsn Delta Couhty voted *dry;, the Wters vyidsntlybelieved.thatliquor was -detri- *Under the present conditionsand alruimstances It appeamf.:tame the phrase referred to should be .oonstrued~fo~meanthat the pharuaey must have been In operation as a.pharmaoy~oontia@uelyfor two years next preveding the date of ths appltoatlvnSOT the pennit and that the twa year purled should beglu to run on the date the store reopened for business on April 29, 1999; that the twv year period dll not expire until April 29. 1e4LR &tie16 666, Seotion lb, ,sub+6otlou 18, Vetnon* Annotated Texas Penal Code, reads in part as follower "(18) Bedlvlnal Permits. Retail Pharsaoists shall be entitled to reeeiVe medicinal permits aud sell or dispense lfquor rvr rtedioihalpurpvsesvnly. The holders of suoh pvrmlts are authorized tv pur- ohase liquor frvm holder8 of wholeseler*s permits 203. Hohorable E. 0. Pharr, Page 4 ia this State, Any pharaaay for whloh a permit is sou&$ must be a bona fide pbarmaoy registep- ed withqthe State 'Boardof Phaagaoyz must emgloy aiidhave::onIdutyat all times a registeredphama- aist end muat have been iu operationas a pharmacy for.et least,tee [2) years'in the particularpoli- tical sub-divisionin rihloha per&t is-sought.'= Art$cle 4S42a, Vefnou's Anuotgted~~%xasciril Sta- tutes, creates.the Tex,ee,Stete Board oi.P&%vmaoy,providesfOF the Uoenslng and registrationat pharmaoistsand regulates the preotloe of pharmaay . .Anthis State: Sectlon~,'lQ of.Article 4542e, Vernod's Aauoteted Texas Cfvll 8tatate8, ,readsas rollowcr: mA lpharumoyf-or 'drug store* as us&d in this Act KS'&+ store or plaae Wh6F6.drugs-ar sukdioinea‘aresold.'orfurnished%a any boha f~de,manuer:atretail to the oousmer rhevbin. ~ar.egistere~phan$aol~stis oonti.ngmelyemploy- *" Section 26 oftArtiole 4&42e; Vernon*8 Asnotated Texas Gi%il Statutes, reads as follow8r *A'yphaxrmc~6&8as used in this Act, meims a person liuensed by the Sta~e'Bctird.of Phariitacy, to prepare, oompouad and dispense physioianet prescriptions,drlngsend.aedloineaand ~~oieona.~ Section 15 of Article 4542a,,Vernon's Annotated Texas Civil Statutes, reads as follow8: “In all &ores in which a iegistereil pharma- cist is continuouslyemployed,and where the pro- visions or this Aot have been fully compliedwith, there'shall be ~displeyedin a prominent pIacrein or on the front oftsaid stove the word *Pharmacy.** seotion 16 or Artlole 4542e, Vernon's Auuotated Texas. Clvll Statutes,veads as follows: "It shall be unlawful for any person to die- play i& or on any s$ore or pjaoe of bw+ness the, word-'Phalmaoy*6ither.I.n the English or any foreign lan&tige; unless ~thereis continuouslyemployed Pbarr, HonorabZe E. '(2. Page 5 therein a registeredpharmacist under the provi- slons 0r this Act.* Seotlon 19 of Article 454Sa, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, read8 as rollmr Avery person, ilna, or oorpaation deslrfng to continue operaflaga retail pharmay or drug store in this State, as the mm ie defined herein, and every manufacturerOS drugs aud mediainea a8 defined herein, after the passage or.this bat shall procure frfanthe Board a permit for each store or' taatory to be operated by meklng'wlthlnsir (6) months applloationto the Board upen a form to be furnished by said Board, setting forth under oath ownership and location. and the name, with the aertirlcatenumber, or the pharmaoist registered In thla State, or physlolan,dentist, reterluar4an .orchiropodistwho is tc be continuoualy~employed by the phermay or drug atore~or faatgrg, prqvfded that the Roard may in its disaretion refuse to fssue such permit to such applicant unlese iurtished rfth satls2'actOry proof that said applicant %s engaged in the business of odtducting a pharmacy, drug store, or raotory ior the purpose of manafaoturing drugs; provided further that at any time arterythe issusnae of a permit by the Bard to such applicant, the Board may revoke or camel thepermIt when satis- factory proof has been presented to such Board that said permit holder Is not conductinga bona fide pharmaoy or drug stars. The permit provided for herein shall be Issued annually.bythe Board upon a reaeipt ,orproper applicationaaoomppad by a fee of Two Dollars ($S); this permit to be isplayed aon- spicuously at all t%mes in the store or factory of original issue. Every person, rirpl or corporation desiring to open a new pharmacy, drug store, or factory shall procure the permit before mentioned, before commenolngbusiness and the same disaretionalr posers may,be used by the Board in passing upon such application.,Ro more than one store or faotory aLaY be operated under one persalt. In case of change or pereonuel or registeredpharmacists,the J3cardshall be notlf$ed.or such change within ten (10) daya; Pro- vided~thatthe same pharmaoist*ename shall not appear on more than on0 I11 permit.e~ 203 Opinion 3% c)-337or this department holds, among OtRer thiqa, tkat a pha~oy is not a bona fide pharmacy &so It ia reginteredwltb the State Msrd of Phamasy, snd unlsaa It has ,_~ ._-..- --. a nglstend at all tlmea phamaiat. TRta departzent held on Daosmber 14, 151313, in an opinion wrttten by Non. Jar Sharp, Awlstpt Attorney benaral, addrasaadto l?oon.Dmt Ford, J&clntitretO%,Texas liquor Ttn- tml ?%ard AuatLn, Texaa, that In ordar to ba ali&bls ior a nediaina!,pan& a ~ba~csoy roustbars bean re(klstered with t&o Stats %taC of ?ha~maay for at leoat tw gear8 prior to tha riling or its applicationfor 8 wdloinal Raw&it and that in order to be a pharmsay it mat &+e had employed and had an Outg a registered phammbWt omtinuoua4 far the two year pork% prior to ths Z11i.w of the application. ‘Under the faata skiwd in your latter and Wer the above authoaltiaathe City Drug E&GM -8 n@t a "phanaaoy*a# tR&t term la deiinod b law during tbs fifty-&&y period bstwaan Earah 9, 1939 an& Sgzi1 ZS, lQB9. tharofore respectfullyadvised that It Ia the apir~ke%~%a depaxt&t that the aorm3udoo raa&aU by you in your 3attor is w%nantly dormot. COMMITTEE