Minnesota Board of Pharmacy - Minnesota State Legislature

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy has been in continuous existence as a state agency since 1885.
There are two primary reasons why it became evident during the late 19th century that the profession of
pharmacy needed to be regulated. First, ever more powerful drugs were being either isolated from
natural sources or chemically synthesized. These drugs, while offering better treatment options than
previously available medicinals, also caused significant adverse drug events if not properly prepared
and dispensed. Second, the latter half of the 19th century saw the widespread marketing of “patent
medicines” which were promoted by often unscrupulous sellers as “cure-alls” – good for treating
everything from a cold to cancer. In reality, the vast majority of these products contained some
combination of just three drugs – cocaine, heroin and alcohol. Rather than curing patients, the patent
medicines often caused them to become drug addicts or to die. The use of powerful drugs and the
unscrupulous sale of drugs are still reasons for regulating both the practice of pharmacy and the
distribution of drugs.
The Board’s mission is to promote, preserve, and protect the public health, safety, and welfare by
fostering the safe distribution of pharmaceuticals and the provision of quality pharmaceutical care to
the citizens of Minnesota. The Board fulfills this mission through the examination and licensure of
pharmacists, regulation of the practice of pharmacy, operation of the Minnesota Prescription
Monitoring Program, investigation of complaints, issuance of disciplinary orders and inspection of
pharmacies, wholesalers, manufacturers and controlled substance research facilities.
Minnesota Statutes §151.02 creates the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy and specifies that it consists of
“two public members as defined by section 214.02 and five pharmacists actively engaged in the
practice of pharmacy in this state”. Minnesota Statutes §151.03 reads, in part “Members of the board
shall be appointed by the governor. The governor shall make appointments to the board that reflect the
geography of the state. The board members who are pharmacists must, as a whole, reflect the broad
mix of practice types of pharmacists practicing in Minnesota. . . . Any pharmacist on the board who,
during incumbency, ceases to be actively engaged in the practice of pharmacy in this state shall be
automatically disqualified from membership”.
The staff of the Board consists of the Executive Director, six pharmacy surveyors (or inspectors), one
office manager, three senior office and administrative specialists, one office and administrative
specialist and one state program administrator coordinator. There is one vacant position for a level 3
information technology specialist.
The major activities performed by the Board and its staff involve: licensing; standard-setting;
compliance; provision of technical assistance to elected public officials, other state agencies, federal
agencies and units of local government; serving as a resource to the profession and the public
concerning issues involving the practice of pharmacy, the distribution of drugs and the abuse of
controlled substances; administering the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program and general
administration of the agency.
The Board utilizes the following task force and committees: the Committee on Professional Standards,
the Complaint Review Panel, the Variance Committee, the Internship Advisory Committee, the
Prescription Monitoring Program Advisory Committee and the Continuing Education Advisory Task
Force.
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