Poison defined -- Sale restricted -- Register to be kept
KRS 217.400
in effect217.400. Poison defined -- Sale restricted -- Register to be kept
(1) A poison is any drug, chemical or preparation that, according to standard works on medicine or medica, is liable to be destructive to adult human life in quantities of sixty (60) grains or less.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, no person shall sell or retail any poison without affixing to the package containing it a label printed or plainly written containing the name of the article, the word "poison," and the name and place of business of the seller, with the common name of two (2) or more readily accessible antidotes, nor shall he deliver poison to any person without satisfying himself that the poison is to be used for legitimate purposes. Any person selling or dispensing any poison that is known to be destructive to adult human life in quantities of five (5) grains or less shall, before delivering it, enter in a book kept for that purpose the name of the seller, the name and residence of the buyer, the name of the article, the quantity sold or disposed of, and the purpose for which it is said to be intended. The book of registry shall be preserved for at least two (2) years after the date of the last entry, and shall at all times be open to the inspection of the coroner of the county in which it is kept, and the members or authorized inspectors of the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy.
(3) The emmenagogues or abortives known as tansy, pennyroyal, rue, savin, ergot, cotton root and their preparations, patent or otherwise, shall be sold at retail or dispensed only upon the original written prescription of a legally qualified physician. The prescription shall be filled but once and no copy shall be taken by any person.
(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the dispensing of poisons in not unusual quantities or doses, on physicians' prescriptions, nor to the sale to agriculturists or horticulturists of articles commonly used by them as insecticides.
Effective: October 1, 1942
History: Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 2630. Legislative Research Commission Note. KRS 217.640 provides for the repeal of the provisions of KRS 217.400 covering economic poisons subject to KRS 217.542 to 217.640.
Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (legislature.ky.gov)URL: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=9355Fetched: 10/20/2026