Nationwide, controlled substances management and disposal exist in an ever-changing regulatory framework. Managers across industries face the pervasive risk of noncompliance, as legislators or enforcement bodies change drug definitions, required action steps, responsibilities, and so on.
The result: Maintaining full compliance with all federal, state, and local rules is a burden to managers and administrators trying to run their core programs—in healthcare, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and beyond. The burden is so great, that in many cases, organizations turn to expert federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-approved partners to ensure total compliance and to avoid infractions, fines, and citations.
This is a vast problem, affecting a wide variety of organizations, including:
- Corrections facilities
- Police stations and barracks
- Municipalities that offer drug takeback
- Pharmacies
- Veterinarian offices
- Elder and long-term care facilities
- Manufacturers and distributors of drugs
- Hospitals and healthcare chains
- Physicians’ offices
- Reverse drug distributors
Clearly, the fluid legal status and enforcement for controlled substances is a nationwide challenge.
Focusing on Drug Legal Status
Compliance with all the government rules is complex. For example, there is no completely consistent approach to many of the legal, but highly regulated, drugs in use nationally. One of the most obvious examples is cannabis. Its current exact federal status seems unclear; the DEA plans to hold hearings on the substance’s future classification.
Various states are in different phases of approval (or denial). For instance, it remains unapproved as a medical treatment in Alabama; while in Ohio, customers are now buying it for recreation. In Massachusetts, it’s available for purchase by adults and for use in medical applications.
States Make Regional Controlled Substances Rules
Other drugs are also in legal flux, such as xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer some humans are abusing—despite its perils. Its growing use in the illegal drug market is eliciting an official response—and some states may impose penalties for its misuse. This likely will affect veterinarians—as well as the drug makers and distributors that supply them with the substance.
State legislatures may also pass their own unique rules. In October, Louisiana, for example, just reclassified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved abortion drugs Misoprostol and Mifepristone as controlled dangerous substances.
This lack of legal synchronization obviously affects not only the general public, but healthcare providers, pharmacies, and similar institutions that may operate across states. These organizations face a complex patchwork of rules to adhere to. The compliance challenge applies all the way from physical handling and destruction to training.
Drugs Always Vulnerable and Risky
Despite the complexities and uncertainties, facilities handling or managing controlled substances face the unvarying reality that full organizational compliance is crucial. Even in the smallest quantities, drugs escaping into the environment cause pollution. Potential substances misuse impacts community health and well-being; when this occurs, an organization faces:
- Loss of brand image
- Revocation of business license
- Fines, and even jail time
- Community harm
Controlled Substances Compliance = Full-Time Job
Staying current with shifting controlled substance rules, including the management and disposal best practices, takes considerable time and effort. Depending on the size of the organization, this can present a near-insupportable strain on existing staff. Overseeing compliance in a large hospital or other type of institution, with limited resources, can become a massive overreach.
If fact, compliance can require the attention of full-time, trained controlled substances management professionals. This means assigning an internal person to handle these issues, which eats up hours of valuable time. It also takes the team member away from core competency tasks. Or it can require bringing on a full- or part-time employee devoted to the task. In either case, the remedy is expensive, often requiring extensive training, on-boarding, and management.
Offload the Compliance Burden
One way to handle this challenge—without taxing precious internal resources—is to turn to a partner. Any truly worthwhile and effective partner can handle an organization’s entire controlled substances management program.
Such a partner should come with a longstanding reputation for DEA-approved controlled substance compliance, and years of consulting experience. Top partner team members can:
- Fully devote their time to your program
- Cut noncompliance and safety risks
- Free internal staff to focus on core competencies
- Discover ways to boost security, efficiency, and compliance
Picking a Compliance Vendor Carefully
The DEA provides a list of compliant controlled substance management vendors, but doesn’t recommend any one of them directly. It’s up to each individual owner or management team to select the right partner for their specific operations. Success requires the close vetting of all potential candidates, ensuring that any one chosen can support all needs.
The partner must be fully capable of overseeing all management phases: from collection to attested destruction—as well as reporting and the creation of performance improvement plans, and anything in between.
Triumvirate Environmental is one such partner. We’re DEA-approved and offer decades of experience in the handling and disposal of controlled substances (as well as hazardous and non-hazardous waste). We focus on compliance at all levels—federal, state, and local—and can oversee and/or supplement a gamut of programs, large or small. Talk to us today to learn more about how we can help you stay fully compliant with controlled substances management and disposal regulations.
