Legislation Across the Nation and the Impact on Pharmacy Practice

Pharmacy legislation is constantly being updated, giving pharmacists a larger role in the health care field. In the past 20 years, pharmacists have seen expansions to legislation involving contraceptive authority, medical marijuana, vaccines and provider status. There is a greater pharmacist impact from legislation passed on the state level in comparison to the national level. As a result, pharmacists have different opportunities to provide new and advanced services to patients based on the state in which they are practicing. Comparing these various laws across the nation allows the profession to determine which sections of the law are problematic and which sections are important to help advance the profession. This information can then be used to shape new and improved laws in other states and extend these services to benefit more patients across the country