Business and Professions Code section 4052
(a)
Notwithstanding any other law, a pharmacist may do all of the following:(1)
Furnish a reasonable quantity of compounded drug product to a prescriber for office use by the prescriber.(2)
Transmit a valid prescription to another pharmacist.(3)
Administer drugs and biological products that have been ordered by a prescriber.(4)
Perform procedures or functions as authorized by Section 4052.1 and 4052.2.(5)
Furnish epinephrine.(6)
Perform procedures or functions as authorized by Section 4052.6.(7)
Furnish, manufacture, measure, fit to the patient, or sell and repair dangerous devices, or furnish instructions to the patient or the patient’s representative concerning the use of those devices.(8)
Provide consultation, training, and education to patients about drug therapy, disease management, and disease prevention, and furnish over-the-counter medications if requested.(9)
Provide professional information, including clinical or pharmacological information, advice, or consultation to patients and health care professionals, and participate in multidisciplinary review of patient progress, including appropriate access to medical records.(10)
(A)Furnish FDA-approved or authorized medications as part of preventative health care services that do not require a diagnosis, including any of the following:(i)
Emergency contraception. A pharmacist shall not require a patient to provide individually identifiable medical information that is not specified in Section 1707.1 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations before initiating emergency contraception drug therapy pursuant to this subdivision.(ii)
Contraception.(iv)
Travel medication.(v)
Anti-viral or anti-infective medications.(B)
The pharmacist shall notify the patient’s primary care provider of any drugs or devices furnished to the patient, or enter the appropriate information in a patient record system shared with the primary care provider, as permitted by that primary care provider. If the patient does not have a primary care provider, the pharmacist shall provide the patient with a written record of the drugs or devices furnished and advise the patient to consult a physician of the patient’s choice.(C)
Nothing in this section shall be construed as establishing an obligation on a pharmacist to report an over-the-counter medication sold to a patient that was not captured as a prescription.(11)
Order and interpret tests.(12)
Initiate, adjust, or discontinue drug therapy for a patient under either of the following:(A)
A collaborative practice agreement with any health care provider with prescriptive authority. The collaborative practice agreement may be between a single or multiple pharmacists and a single or multiple health care providers with prescriptive authority.(B)
An order or authorization made by the patient’s prescriber and in accordance with the policies, procedures, or protocols of the entity providing health care services, unless a patient’s treating prescriber otherwise prohibits the action.(13)
Furnish medication used to reverse opioid overdose and medication used to treat substance use disorder to the extent authorized by federal law.(14)
Complete missing information on a prescription for a noncontrolled medication if there is evidence to support the change.(15)
Initiate and administer immunizations for persons three years of age and older pursuant to this article.(b)
A pharmacist who is authorized to issue an order to initiate or adjust a controlled substance therapy pursuant to this section shall personally register with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.(c)
This section does not affect the applicable requirements of law relating to either of the following:(1)
Maintaining the confidentiality of medical records.(2)
The licensing of a health care facility.(d)
Nothing in this section shall be construed as establishing an obligation on a pharmacist to perform or provide a service or function authorized by subdivision (a) if the pharmacist has made a professional determination that any of the following apply:(1)
The pharmacist lacks sufficient education, training, or expertise, or access to sufficient patient medical information, to perform the service or function properly or safely.(2)
Performing or providing the service or function would place a patient at risk.(3)
Pharmacist staffing at the pharmacy is insufficient to facilitate comprehensive patient care.(e)
A pharmacist shall notify a patient’s primary care provider of any drugs or devices furnished to the patient, or enter the appropriate information in a patient record system shared with the primary care provider, as permitted by that primary care provider. If the patient does not have a primary care provider or requests not to notify the primary care provider, the pharmacist shall provide the patient with a written or electronic record of the drugs or devices furnished and advise the patient to consult a physician of the patient’s choice.(f)
Nothing in this section shall be construed as establishing an obligation on a pharmacist to perform or provide authorized services without payment for the services, including payment directly by the patient, payment through a third-party payer, or payment of any required copayment by the patient.
Source:
Section 4052, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4052. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
