Special authorization from the DEA is necessary to be considered a narcotic treatment program. Physicians who wish to run a narcotic treatment program must: Be separately registered with the DEA as a narcotic treatment program; Comply with all DEA regulations regarding drug addiction treatment; Be licensed by the Massachusetts DPH as a substance abuse treatment program; and Obtain a DEA waiver to treat opioid addiction outside a treatment program, if the physician wants to prescribe in the office setting. Section 2: Drug Schedules In Massachusetts, all prescription medications are This section “controlled substances.” describes each of the six schedules, and lists examples of the drugs in each Schedule. Section 3: Prescriptions This section sets out the requirements for issuing prescriptions, including verbal, faxed, and electronic prescriptions. It discusses the elements of a written prescription. Section 4: Dispensing This section sets out the requirements for dispensing controlled substances. Section 5: The Prescription Monitoring Program. The Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is a repository for a prescription patient’s history for Schedule II-V prescriptions. The PMP is administered by the Department of Public Health. All Massachusetts pharmacies and out-of-state pharmacies delivering to people in Massachusetts provide prescription data to the PMP. Section 6: The Medical Marijuana Law Effective January 1, 2013, Massachusetts voters passed a Medical Marijuana law through the initiative petition process. The law allows physicians to advise a qualifying patient about the risks and benefits of the medical use of marijuana. The physician may provide a qualifying patient with written certification that the medical use of marijuana may benefit that particular
Special authorization from the DEA is necessary to be considered a narcotic treatment program. Physicians who wish to run a narcotic treatment program must: Be separately registered with the DEA as a narcotic treatment program; Comply with all DEA regulations regarding drug addiction treatment; Be licensed by the Massachusetts DPH as a substance abuse treatment program; and Obtain a DEA waiver to treat opioid addiction outside a treatment program, if the physician wants to prescribe in the office setting. Section 2: Drug Schedules In Massachusetts, all prescription medications are “controlled substances.” This section describes each of the six schedules, and lists examples of the drugs in each Schedule. Section 3: Prescriptions This section sets out the requirements for issuing prescriptions, including verbal, faxed, and electronic prescriptions. It discusses the elements of a written prescription. Section 4: Dispensing This section sets out the requirements for dispensing controlled substances. Section 5: The Prescription Monitoring Program. The Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is a repository for a patient’s prescription history for Schedule II-V prescriptions. The PMP is administered by the Department of Public Health. All Massachusetts pharmacies and out-of-state pharmacies delivering to people in Massachusetts provide prescription data to the PMP. Section 6: The Medical Marijuana Law Effective January 1, 2013, Massachusetts voters passed a Medical Marijuana law through the initiative petition process. The law allows physicians to advise a qualifying patient about the risks and benefits of the medical use of marijuana. The physician may provide a qualifying patient with written certification that the medical use of marijuana may benefit that particular
policy-15-05.docx