(a) To be eligible for a license to practice pharmacist care under the provisions of this article, the applicant shall:

(1) Submit a written application to the board;

(2) Be eighteen years of age or older;

(3) Pay all applicable fees;

(4) Graduate from an accredited school of pharmacy;

(5) Complete at least fifteen hundred hours of internship in a pharmacy under the instruction and supervision of a pharmacist;

(6) Pass an examination or examinations approved by the board;

(7) Not be an alcohol or drug abuser, as these terms are defined in section eleven, article one-a, chapter twenty-seven of this code: Provided, That an applicant in an active recovery process, which may, in the discretion of the board, be evidenced by participation in a twelve-step program or other similar group or process, may be considered;

(8) Present to the board satisfactory evidence that he or she is a person of good moral character, has not been convicted of a felony involving the sale or distribution of controlled substances;

(9) Not been convicted in any jurisdiction of any other felony or crime which bears a rational nexus to the individual's ability to practice pharmacist care, Provided, That an applicant with a felony conviction other than the felony conviction specified in subdivision eight of this section may apply to the board for licensure no sooner than five years after the date of the conviction. The board shall evaluate each applicant on a case by case basis; and

(10) Has fulfilled any other requirement specified by the board in rule.

(b) An applicant from another jurisdiction shall comply with all the requirements of this article.