OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Homer Garriaoti,
Jr., Director
Departmentof Public Safety
Camp Mabry
Austin, Texas
Dear sir: Oplnlon No. o-4135
of October 16, 1941,
ch vould include
out a preacrlp-
Said artlale is the Uniform Maraotlo
Section 1, subdivision (12)x "Opium' ln-
cludee morphine, codeine, and heroin, and any
compound,manufaature,salt, derivative,nlx-
ture, or preparationof opium, but does 2ot
include apomorphlneOP any of its aalte. _
~~~erabla It-mer Osrrl~em. Jr., Page ?
Saotlon 1, laubdirla2~ (14): “Iazwotlo
drugs' me898 coaa leaver. opium, pyote. meaoal
bean, and cannabis,and e~a8-y mabatmoo neither
ohemloallypop phyaloally diatlngulahablefrom
them."
Seotion 21 "It shell be unlavful for eny
gw;.w;tltomanufacture, poaaeaa, have under hLa
sell, preaoribe, administer,dispense,
or comph any narootlo drug."
teotlon 2Ai "It shall not be unlavful to
abanufactun,poa8ea8, ham, oontrol, sell, pre-
aorlbe, admfniater,dlapenae, QP oompound any
narootlo drug vhere eFe ia authorized under
the terms of thla Act.'
Seation 6, oubdlvlaion (l)t "An apMmary,
in good faith, asy sell and dlaponao aamotlo
drugs to any pocaon upon 1. trltten proaor~ption
of a phyaloian,dentlat, OE vetorinerlan,dnted
and aQned by thm pe~mon &woaox!lblq on the
second day afCer the afma la iorued and bearing
the full naae and addmae OS the patient for vbom,
OP of the twner of the animal for vhfeh, the drug
la dlapenaed.azdthe full~me. addreae, arid
mglatm nwabor under the tedorul lavootlo Lava
of the peraon preaoriblng, Sf he is mqtired by
thoae lava to be 80 mglatemd. If the preaerlp-
titinbo for aA allimal,it she411a-to th alpooloa
of en-1 for vhlah the drug la pmaacibod. The
peraon filling the pre6arIptlon ahall vrlte the
date of filling and hia ova algnature on the fao)
of the preaarlptlon. Wm pmacslptlon ehell be
retalned on file by the proprietor of the he~meoJ
in vhlah it la filled for a period of tve P'?)
yearn, ao aa to be readll~ aooeaaible for inspeo-
tion by any pub110 offloer or employee engaged
in the anforoementof thla Aot. The preuaription
shall not be refilled.'
section 91 1'sa +, Provided, hovever, eny
one can puroheae one (1) ounce of paregoric ior
medioal purpoeee without a preaorlptlon. As
emended Acts 1941, 47th Leg., S.B. g-0, 8 ?."
There are other aelea of nerootioa authoritedb;rthe
Aot, not necessary to be pointed out here (for inatinoe,author-
laed se.108 by Ucenaed VhOleWleTe).
Section 1 of snld Senate Bill lo. 70, cited above,
Bonorable Ecmer Ckrrlson, Jr., Page 3
vhi& beaeme effective Oatober 2, 1941, eme@s Seotlon 8 of
Artiole ??5b to read es follovsr
*Sec. 8. Except as othdruiae l.nthis
Act speclflcallyprovided, this dot shall
not apply to the folloving oaae8r
“Administerin& dispensing, or sellfng
at retail of any medicinal prepamtton that
oontalns in one (1) fluid ounoe, or if a
aolld or semi-solidprepamtlon, in one (1)
avoirdupois ounce, not more thea one (1)
grain of codeine or of any of lta ealta.
'The exemtion authortiedby this Seo-
tlon shell be subjeet to the follovi~ con-
ditional (1) That the medloI.nnl preperat10n
admlnlatered,dlapeneed, or sold, shall ton-
taln in lddltla ton the niwootio drug in it,
mom drug or drags waferrIng upen it sudlol-
nal qualities other tMa these oaaeaaod by
the naruotla drug alone; and (2P that suuh
prep8ratlon ah811 be m3mlnlatersd,dispensed,
end sold in good faith as a mddlclne, end
not for the purpose of evading tha p~ovlelans
of this Aot.
'Iiothlngin this aeotian ahell be con-
strued to llmlt the kind awl quantity of any
narcotic drug that my be presorlbed,awnis-
temd, diapeaeed, or sold. to cay poraon 0s
for the uuo of .mq person or Bnimal, when it
la prescribed,Umlnlatemd, dlrpnaed, or
sold, In c~ll6uioo Vith the gasmrel prorielona
of this Act.
Section l-a of said Sen@e Bill lo. 70 fa es follovar
"Section l-e. On and aftet September1,
1943, Seation 1 of Senate Bill Rg..yD, Regular
Seaston, 4X-h Legislature, is repialed, and In
lieu thereof thle Beotlon l-a ahall prevail and
be in lieu thereof. And on end after September 1,
1943, Section 8 of Hour Bill IIQ.*@O, Regular
E
%onoreble Haamr (iarrison,Jr., Peg% k
Seseion, 45th Legislature, Aota of 1937,
Chapter 169, es umnd6d by Senate BLll Ho.
70, Regular 8ee810B* 47th Ileg:aleture, be
end the aalssla hereby Swther emended so
as to read au follows on an8 after September
1, 1943
n'sootSon8. (PrepaxationeExempted).
Exospt a8 otherwise iiathis Act epeo:Sloell~
prunided, thio Act shell not apply to the
following caeee:
"'(I) Preacrlblng,adainiatsrLng~g~~~l
penalng, or aelllng at rwt8il OS
9rwareflon that aatafna in on8 "3 (1 fluid
ounub, or lr a aolld or semi-aolidpmparatlon,
fno~~(l) avoirdupois oumb, (a) not more then
alna OS opium, (b) not more than one-
quartor rl/4) of a grain of marp~ 0 of any
or Its salts, (c) not more than OBa (1f @en
OS codeine or OS of Its salts, (d) not more
t&n one-eighth (1 3 ,) SS o gn?P of heroin or
of any of :ta salts, (0) not mom than one-half
(l/2) of a gnin of srtrsot of wumabla nor
more th60 one-half (l/a) of a grain of any more
pot8nt derivative or ppwuratlon of uennabfa,
(S) end not more than one (1 of t&
md aboW* in almaea (a), b), (a),
"'(2) Preamiblxq, adxtiniatoring, dia-
pensing, or sollAng at retail of linlmentr,
olntmenta,end other preparations,that an
auaoeptlbleof external uai only and that con-
tain narcotla druga in such combfnationa as
prevent their being readily urtrauted from
such 11ni.mant8, olntmanta. o* preparationa,
emopt thnt this hot ah&l1 apply to all llnl-
manta, olntm~nta, and other preparations,that
oontain cocn leaves in say quantity or eombina-
tion.
"'The exemptions authorizedby this Section
ah811 be subjeot to the folloVfB&$ cotrditioxU!*
" 1(a) %a pero~n ahall prosorlbe, adm&&er,
aapensg, or a.11 under the .xsPptlons of thf*
Bonerabletlomerffsrrison,
Jr., Page 5
aeation. to any one person, or for the
use of any me person or anim31, OpJ pm-
paretlctnOP prrparatloaa Includedwithin
this Section, vhen he knowr, or aa~~b#
reasonabledlllgenoe aaoert@In, thbt auoh
preaorlblng,8&8in16tml.ng, dlapenalng,oc
selling vi11 provide the person to vhor or
for whose uao, or the owner of tha anIrp1
for the use of vhlah auoh preparation +a
pruorlbed, sdmlaiatend, dir ensed, or
aold, vithfn a.ay Sortpelght ‘i118 aonaeau-
tlto hours, vith ROM than four 4) raino
0r epiw, or more than oae-halt 1l/27 grrin
of wrphine or OS any OS lta salts, or lora
than two (9) grains of cedel.na or OS a
Its a8lta. oc mm0 than onequarter (1 32 ) OS
of a grain of haroln or of any of it a salts,
or mare than ona (I) grain of utrrot OS
manabla OF ofm (1) grain of 8ny wro petont
derivative of or pnpentbn OS eumabfa, or
will protide rush permn or the owner of luah
enlwl, wlthSn fort]r-.I@ (58) oonaeootiro
'hours,vlth more than one preparationexempt-
ed by thla Seotioarfrom the operation of thla
Ad.
"l(b) '12uYdll~IMl preparation,or the
1Inlmant, olnlmnt, OC other prqarationaua-
ueptlblo OS utomal UL(I only, pnaorlbod,
adminiatmsd, dIapenard, or meld, ahall oon-
tain, in addition to the neraotlc drug ln It,
sow drug or drugs oanfrrriogupon It medicinal
qualitlea other than those poaaeaaod by the
naraotlo e&q alcmu. such pnpwatioa &all
be prescribed,edmlnIat~nd, dlapanaed, aad
sold In good faith as a medIoIne, and wt for
the purpose of evading tha prorlaiana of this
Act.
"'llothin$ in this Scretlom ahall be eon-
atrued to lirit the kind and qcmntlty of am
narcotic drmg that may be pnaarlbed, adrinlater-
ed, dlapenaed,or mold, ,tbany porann or ior tha
use of any pimaon or aaIm1, vhen It Is preao~lb-
ed, adminlatered, dIapwaeQ, or sold, in ma-
pll'anoevith the gver8l pmrlalana of this Aat."
R%ws%bl% Boner Qarilaon, Peg% 6
Prom e studs OS th% quoted aeotlona of the statute,
It vi11 be aeon thet Ssatlon 2 of the Act Is the princlpel
pp&SbItiBg aeotion th%r%oS, and Sootion 8, both as It reeds
nov end as It will r%ed after September 1, 1943, IS ea oxenpt-
ing, rather then e prohibiting,provlalcm, %xo%pt as to aub-
~lviaIon (a) thereof, vhloh vi11 nterel~pleae a further liml-
tation on the exc%ptlon thereln provld%d.
Sootlon 2 plrohlbitath% aele of eny nerootic drug.
It th%r%Sor% beeoma neaeaaery for us to determln%whether
peregorio Is e nerootlc drmg within the deflnitlonaof the Act.
The Aa%rIcane Enoyolopedied%Slma It es follows;
"Par%gorIo(Week --- SOOthInd en OHat%, the ce#qphoreted
tinoture OS oplula. It Is composed of opium, benzoio eold, oam-
phor, all OS culls%,honey end dilute alcohol. Ev%rj fluid oum%
eontalna two grelna each of the opium, eeld end oemphor e&l tvo
minima of oil of enlsa." St%dmen's "PraatleelHedloel ni%tion%l?g"
(11th Ed., 1930) gIv%a this formula for pemgorIo: “Tiwtura
0~11 %emphoretet o lua 4, b%neoIo aold 4, -or 4, oil OS
anIs% 4, gljo%rIno P0, diluted aloohol to meke 1003.
United Stetea Phermecopo%Ia(11th RerI%:on, Jun% 1, 193zp+
acribes the follovIng Sorntle for pangorlor
"Capphor8tsdTIn%turs of Opium yiolda,
m eeoh 100 c a, not leas then 0.035 gnu
ti not wm then 0.045 gram of auhydrous
aaorphino.
"TlnalP% OS 0p:lim
Oil or AnIae
Benzolc Acid
Cemphor
TO raSk8
We era InSorwd by th% State Heelth.D%partm%ntthet thIa formula
contains not aoc% then two grains of opium to the Sluuidounae,
end that the other drugs in paregopia oonier upon It wdloinel
qualities othsr then those poa%%aaed by the opium elona.
It la therefore our opinion that the eels of not more
then one ounce of persgoritiSor laedloalpurposea vithout a pr%-
ecriptionla peraitted by Seation 9 of Artlole 725b, V%rnonfa
p0rid cod%, es mnd%d, but that the sale or wn than one ounoe
of paregoric does not at th% pnaent tlm okii?ithIn the ox-
emption of &&ion 8 OS Article 725b, Vsrnon'a P%dsl Code, =d
that lta ael% Is prohlblt%dby S%otion 2 OS eaid htIol%, but
~onoreble Bomer Barrlson, Page 7
that it ~KLJlawfully bo sold by a drugglat on preaorlptionIn
4cmplianosvlth the provisions of Seotlon 6 of 4ald Article.
ft 14 our fuythst opinion that par4gorla la within the 4xemp-
tlons of Station l-a, 9enato Bill Ilo.70, 47th LogieJature,
Regular Ses4lon, amondlng Section 8 of said Article 725b, 4%
f4otlve s4pt4mber 1, 1943.
We oall to your attention,howovor, the fact that a
ledloin lab414d "parogorlo"urf, by roaaon of maporation or
ror other roa4on, oontain mor4 than tireg~ln4 of opium in om
fluid ounc4, and thus bo vlthout the oxoaptlon provldod in Sec-
tion l-a of Senate Bill lo. 70. In the rlnal analy4i8, whothor
It la sold in good faith a4 a madlolm, etc., and vhethor It
aontalm moot)than two grains of opium per fluid ounc4, mast
bs dotormlnod aa a Bsttsr of fact In each ln4t4me.
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion