Hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquenil) and other variants of the malaria drug Chloroquine have been touted as a possible treatment for the coronavirus COVID-19. However, such studies remain unproven.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently moved to ban pharmacists from filling prescriptions for these medications without a valid, proven, positive COVID-19 test. This is to prevent hoarding of the drug as a supposedly preventative measure against getting the virus, which is again, an unsubstantiated claim.
Under Ohio law and federal drug schedules, Hydroxychloroquine is not listed as a controlled substance. So you are not at risk or a drug conviction for possession of Hydroxychloroquine. However, it is illegal to have someone else’s prescriptions.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy regulations are not part of the criminal code but do have the force of law. Recently the Board fined a medical provider $480,000 for excessive dosing of patients that lead to 25 deaths.
