California Will Require NAPLEX for Pharmacist Licensure

California pharmacists will be required to pass the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) as a prerequisite for licensure. This legislation was signed into law by ousted Gov Gray Davis only days before he was recalled by the state's voters.

California had been the only state not to require NAPLEX for licensure, and the state's pharmacy board had lobbied actively for enactment of the legislation. California pharmacists seeking licensure must sit for the NAPLEX beginning January 1, 2004.

Although incoming Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger has indicated that he may revisit legislation signed by Davis during the final days of his tenure, California officials do not expect the pharmacy examination law to be reversed.