N.Y. Public Health Law § 3305 – Exemptions

1. The provisions of this article restricting the possession and control of controlled substances and official New York state prescription forms shall not apply:
1. (a) to common carriers or to warehousemen, while engaged in lawfully transporting or storing such substances, or to any employee of the same acting within the scope of his employment; or
2. (b) to public officers or their employees in the lawful performance of their official duties requiring possession or control of controlled substances; or
3. (c) to temporary incidental possession by employees or agents of persons lawfully entitled to possession, or by persons whose possession is for the purpose of aiding public officers in performing their official duties.
4. (d) to a duly authorized agent of an incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or a municipal animal control facility for the limited purpose of buying, possessing, and dispensing to registered and certified personnel, ketamine hydrochloride to anesthetize animals and/or sodium pentobarbital to euthanize animals, including but not limited to dogs and cats. The department shall, consistent with the public interest, register such duly authorized agent and such agent shall file, on a quarterly basis, a report of purchase, possession, and use of ketamine hydrochloride and/or sodium pentobarbital, which report shall be certified by the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or municipal animal control facility as to its accuracy and validity. This report shall be in addition to any other record keeping and reporting requirements of state and federal law and regulation. The department shall adopt rules and regulations providing for the registration and certification of any individual who, under the direction of the duly authorized and registered agent of an incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or municipal animal control facility, uses ketamine hydrochloride to anesthetize animals and/or sodium pentobarbital to euthanize animals, including but not limited to dogs and cats. The department may also adopt such other rules and regulations as shall provide for the safe and efficient use of ketamine hydrochloride and/or sodium pentobarbital by incorporated societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals and animal control facilities. Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to waive any other requirement imposed on incorporated societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals and animal control facilities by state and federal law and regulation.
2. The commissioner may, by regulation, provide for the exemption from all or part of the requirements of this article the possession of substances in schedule III or IV and use thereof as part of an industrial process or manufacture of substances other than drugs. The commissioner may impose such conditions upon the granting of such exemption as may be necessary to protect against diversion or misuse of the controlled substance.
3. The commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered to make any rules, regulations and determinations permitting the following categories of persons to obtain, dispense and administer controlled substances under such conditions and in such manner as he shall prescribe:
1. (a) a person in the employ of the United States government or of any state, territory, district, county, municipal, or insular government, obtaining, possessing, dispensing and administering controlled substances by reason of his official duties;
2. (b) a master of a ship or a person in charge of any aircraft upon which no physician is regularly employed, or to a physician or surgeon duly licensed in any state, territory, or the District of Columbia to practice his profession, or to a retired commissioned medical officer of the United States army, navy, or public health service, employed upon such ship or aircraft, for the actual medical needs of persons on board such ship or aircraft when not in port.
3. (c) a person in a foreign country in compliance with the provisions of this article.
4. The provisions of this article with respect to the payment of fees and costs shall not apply to the state of New York or any political subdivision thereof or any agency or instrumentality of either.