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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 104Pt. 5Ch. 6Art. 2§ 111280 Drug Adulteration Standards

§ 111280 Drug Adulteration Standards

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 111280 Drug Adulteration Standards

Key Takeaways

  • •A drug is considered bad if it claims to be a certain type of medicine but is weaker, less pure, or lower quality than it should be.
  • •The strength, quality, or purity of the drug is checked using specific tests mentioned in official medicine books.
  • •If the drug is different from the standard but clearly says so on the label, it’s not considered bad.

Example

You buy a painkiller that says it has 500mg of medicine in each pill, but when you check, it only has 300mg.

This pill is considered bad because it’s weaker than what it claims to be, and it doesn’t say so on the label.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 111280 Drug Adulteration Standards

Any drug is adulterated if it purports to be, or is represented as, a drug that is recognized in an official compendium, and its strength differs from, or its quality or purity falls below, the standards set forth in the compendium. Such determination as to strength, quality, or purity shall be made in accordance with the tests or methods of assay set forth in the compendium, or in the absence of or inadequacy of the tests or methods of assay, those prescribed under authority of this part. No drug defined in an official compendium shall be deemed to be adulterated under this section because it differs from the standard of strength, quality, or purity set forth in the compendium, if its difference in strength, quality, or purity from the standard is plainly stated on the label. (Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

adulteratedofficial compendiumstrengthqualitypuritystandards

Related Statutes

  • § 111260 Drug Device Manufacturing Standards
  • § 111285 Drug Device Adulteration Standards
  • § 111250 Adulterated Drug Device Definition
  • § 111255 Drug Device Contamination Standards
  • § 111265 Poisonous Drug Packaging Ban

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 111280.
View Official Source