Chap. 250.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 1 of chapter 3 of an act
entitled an act to regulate the practice of pharmacy and the composi-
tion, branding, possession, dispensing and sale of drugs, poison and nar-
cotics, and to repeal certain existing acts in relation thereto, approved
March 14, 1908. [S B 291]

Approved March 15, 1918.

Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tion one of chapter three of an act entitled an act to regulate the
practice of pharmacy and the composition, branding, possession.
dispensing, and sale of drugs, poison and narcotics, and to repeal
certain existing acts in relation thereto, approved March fourteenth,
nineteen hundred and eight, be amended and re-enacted so as to
read as follows:

1. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, furnish or give
away any morphine, heroin, opium and preparations thereof con-
taining a higher percentage of morphine than tincture of opium
of the strength ordered by the United States pharmacopoeia, or
any salt or compound of the foregoing substances, except upon the
original written prescription or order of a lawfullv authorized
practitioner of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine, which
must have plainly written upon it the name and address of the
patient, and must be signed by the person giving it, which pre
scription can be filled only once. It shall be unlawful for any per-
son except a licensed physician, dentist or veterinary surgeon, manu-
facturing pharmacist or chemist, or a wholesale or retail pharma-
cist or druggist to have in his possession the drugs mentioned in this
section, and possession of the same by other persons shall be prima
facie evidence of the intent to sell or give away or otherwise dis-
pose of the same.
Provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to
sales made by any manufacturers, wholesale or retail druggists to
other manufacturers, wholesale or retail druggists; nor to sales
made to hospitals, colleges, scientific or public institutions, or to
physicians, dentists, or veterinary surgeons; nor to the sale of
cough syrups and other domestic and proprietary remedies of this
character, which are prepared and sold in good faith as medicines
and not intended for defeating the purposes of this chapter, if
such remedies do not contain more than two grains of opium or
one-third grain of morphine or one-fourth grain of heroin in one
fluid ounce, or if a solid preparation in one avoirdupois ounce, nor
to preparations containing opitm which are prepared and sold in
good faith for diarrhoea and cholera, each bottle or package of
which is accompanied by specific directions for use and a caution
against habitual use; nor to powder of ipecac and opium, com-
monly known as “Dover’s powder”; nor to liniments or ointments,
when plainly labeled “For external use.”