A new law is supposed to make it easier for women in California to get birth control, as it can now be dispensed directly by pharmacists without a doctor’s prescription.

But good luck finding a pharmacy taking advantage of the new rule.

All dozen local independent pharmacies contacted Monday by the Register have yet to put the law into practice, even though it went into effect April 1. Some said they intend to begin directly dispensing birth control, but haven’t started because each pharmacist must first be certified.

“I heard about it a long time ago, then kind of forgot about it,” said Brad Winther, a pharmacist at Med Center Pharmacy in Irvine.

The law – which gives pharmacists the option to directly dispense birth control but does not require it – passed in 2013. Politics and red tape prevented it from going into effect sooner. California now joins Oregon as the only states that allows pharmacists to directly provide birth control.

Some local pharmacies weren’t aware of the change; several said they were still considering it.

Participating pharmacies will make women’s lives easier, saving them time and eliminating a co-pay tied to first visiting a doctor’s office. The pills, however, won’t be available on store shelves. Women will have to see the pharmacist, fill out a questionnaire about their health and have their blood pressure taken.

Critics say the new law sends the wrong message to teenage girls by allowing them to more easily get contraceptives.

“They say it’s for women, but they mean anyone,” including teenage girls, California Right to Life spokeswoman Camille Giglio said.

“The ability to get contraceptives from yet another source is not a benefit to young people,” she added. “It is a barrier to communication between a mother and a child.”

The law is also seen as a major step toward expanding the role of pharmacists amid a nationwide shortage of doctors. Fueled by an aging population and a growing number of people newly covered by insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the shortage could reach 90,400 physicians by 2025, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The law applies to hormonal contraceptives – birth control pills, the skin patch and vaginal ring – and not to intrauterine devices.

But pharmacists have to be trained first. Those who graduated from pharmacy school prior to 2014 will need to take at least one hour of continuing education to be able to furnish contraceptives.

During the initial few weeks, pharmacists and pharmacies will be filling out paperwork, preparing inventory and figuring out billing, so women should call in advance, said Kathleen Hill-Besinque, associate professor of USC School of Pharmacy.

Women will probably find smaller, independent businesses participating sooner. Big retailers will likely be slower to adapt, because they will have to train each of their pharmacists, she said.

Hill-Besinque said she has been helping train pharmacists, 60 to 70 at a time several times a year, since the bill passed, and she just finished filming a two-hour webinar for the California Pharmacists Association that will be available on demand.

“We’re doing everything we can to get people up and moving,” she said. “Word is being spread pretty widely. I’m getting calls from former students, my colleagues, saying, ‘Hey, when can we get started?’”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: jchandler@ocregister.com and @jennakchandler on Twitter