Rhode Island General Laws Title 21. Food and Drugs § 21-28-3.11. Form, delivery, and preservation of official written orders

(a) An official written order for any controlled substance shall be signed in duplicate by the person giving the order or by his or her duly authorized agent. The original shall be presented to the person who sells or distributes the controlled substances named in it. In the event of the acceptance of the order by that person, each party to the transaction shall preserve his or her copy of the order for a period of two (2) years in such a way as to be readily accessible for inspection by any public officer or employee engaged in the enforcement of this chapter. It shall be deemed a compliance with this section if the parties to the transaction have complied with the federal law respecting the requirements governing the use of order forms.

(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the person giving the order, or his or her duly authorized agent, from presenting said order to the person who sells or distributes the controlled substances named in it by use of facsimile transmission.