About 200,000 Tennesseans are visiually impaired, and they can have a hard time managing prescription medications. That will be easier now because of a policy that went into effect this year.
Federal drug regulators make sure pharmacies put a lot of information on their prescription bottles. But there hasn’t been any kind of requirement to support visually impaired people. That could look like having a large–print option or printing labels in braille.
Tennessee lawmakers created their own requirements in 2022, and they went into effect this spring. The law says Tennesseans have a right to accessible prescription labels, and that pharmacies must provide them.
Disability advocates have been pushing for policies like this one for decades.
Congress ordered drug regulators to study possible solutions back in 2003, according to the American Federation for the Blind. But there have been no changes at the federal level. There have been federal recommendations for best practices since 2016. They say pharmacies should offer talking bottles or smart-phone supported ones, refuse to add extra charges for the accommodations, and make sure the labels are durable enough they’ll last until the medication’s expiration date.
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