Authority for Practitioners To Dispense or Prescribe Approved Narcotic (Opioid) Controlled Substances for Maintenance or Detoxification Treatment

DEA proposes to amend its regulations to allow qualified practitioners to dispense and prescribe to narcotic (opioid) dependent persons Schedule III, IV, and V narcotic (opioid) controlled drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for use in maintenance or detoxification treatment. These practitioners would not need to obtain a separate DEA registration as a narcotic treatment program to legally dispense or prescribe these drugs. Such practitioners, however, must be deemed "qualifying physicians" by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services. This notice of proposed rulemaking is in response to the recent amendments to the Controlled Substances Act by the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA), title XXXV of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106- 310), that are designed to expand and improve treatment of opioid addiction. The proposed regulations are intended to accomplish the goals of DATA while preventing the diversion of Schedule III, IV, and V narcotic (opioid) controlled drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for maintenance/detoxification treatment.