Retail Diversion of Legal Drugs: A Major Problem With No Easy Solution

Because of the growing abuse of legitimate drugs and the potential for diversion by those who dispense drugs, an examination was made of the Federal and State preventive efforts at the retail level. Under the Controlled Substances Act, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is provided with extensive authority to register and regulate drug manufacturers and distributors but not practitioners. The Act authorizes the agency to register practitioners authorized under State laws to dispense and prescribe controlled substances. Security regulations for safeguarding drugs are virtually nonexistent, and the agency lacks statutory authority to establish stronger ones.