Bill Introduced to Amend Controlled Substances Act

April 17, 2013 — 

Representatives Schrader (OR-5) and Yoho (FL-3) introduced H.R. 1528, the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, on Friday, April 12th. The bill, which would amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to allow veterinarians to transport and dispense controlled substances in the field, was referred to the House Energy & Commerce Committee as well as the Judiciary Committee. At the same time, the Agriculture Committee has been very supportive and engaged on this issue.

The CSA makes it illegal for veterinarians to take and use controlled substances outside of the locations where they are registered, often their clinics or homes. This means that it is illegal for veterinarians to carry and use controlled substances on farms, in house calls, in veterinary mobile clinics, or ambulatory response situations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which enforces the law, has informed organized veterinary medicine that without a statutory change, veterinarians are in violation of the CSA and cannot legally provide complete veterinary care. The DEA has already notified some veterinarians in California and Washington State that they are in violation of this law.

The AVMA encourages you to contact your members of Congress and urge them to support the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2013 (H.R. 1528), which would amend the CSA that currently prohibits veterinarians from transporting controlled substances to treat their animal patients outside of their registered locations.