PDAPS | Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System

Direct Dispensing of Controlled Substances Laws

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This dataset examines statutes and regulations on the dispensing of a controlled substance by physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners to their patients in an office setting. Generally, a physician is permitted to directly dispense controlled substances during the normal practice of medicine after securing any required certificates or registrations. States laws can restrict physician direct dispensing in a number of ways: restricting the amount a physician can dispense, restricting which patients a physician may dispense to, and restricting how physicians may charge for dispensed drugs. States will also vary on whether other practitioners, like physician assistants and nurse practitioners, have the authority to directly dispense controlled substances. This dataset highlights these differences among state direct dispensing laws.

This dataset is cross-sectional, capturing currently effective law valid through October 1, 2017.

Policy Questions