Telephone Prescriptions: A prescription issued by an individual practitioner may be communicated to a pharmacist by an employee or agent of the practitioner. The practitioner may not delegate the act of prescribing (i.e., the decision-making process whether to issue a prescription, what drug to prescribe, what dosage, what frequency, and whether to refill the prescription) to a person not authorized to issue a prescription.

(a) A prescription for a controlled substance must be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his/her professional practice. The responsibility for the proper prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances is upon the prescriber, but a corresponding responsibility rests with the pharmacists who fills the prescription. Both may be subject to the penalties provided for the violations of the provisions of law relating to controlled substances.

(b) A prescription may not be issued in order for a practitioner to obtain controlled substances for the purpose of general dispensing to patients (i.e., for office use).

Manner of issuance of prescriptions: All prescriptions for controlled substances shall be dated and signed on the day issued, and shall bear the full name and address of the patient, and name, address & registration number of the prescriber. A practitioner may sign a prescription in the same manner as he would sign a check or legal document.

Registration number required on all prescriptions: All prescriptions for controlled substances, whether written by the practitioner or telephoned, shall bear the Federal Controlled Substances Registration Number (DEA Number) or the prescriber.

Requirement of prescription (Schedule II Controlled Substance): A pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance listed in schedule II only pursuant to a written prescription signed by the prescribing practitioner, except for emergency dispensing.