Controlled Substances Laws: Federal and Nevada
What this domain tests
Controlled-substance questions combine the federal CSA and DEA rules with Nevada scheduling, registration, PDMP, and opioid-safety requirements. The exam expects you to know which schedule controls refills, transfers, partial fills, ordering, inventory, and reporting.
Core rules
- Schedules. CI has no accepted medical use; CII has high abuse potential with severe dependence; CIII–V have decreasing abuse potential. Federal and Nevada schedules both apply; the stricter control governs.
- Registration and ordering. DEA registration is required; CII orders use DEA Form 222 or CSOS. CIII–V may be ordered on ordinary invoices.
- Refills and transfers. CII has no refills. CIII–V allow five refills or six months. Federal rules allow CIII–V prescription information to be transferred once for initial filling; CII cannot be transferred.
- Partial fills. A CII may be partially filled if stock is insufficient; record the quantity, complete within 72 hours, or notify the prescriber and dispense no more. CIII–V partial fills are allowed, with total quantity within six months.
- Loss or theft. Notify DEA in writing within one business day of discovery and complete the required inventory and records.
- Nevada PDMP and opioids. Dispensers report to the Nevada Prescription Monitoring Program; prescribers query it. Nevada limits initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain and permits naloxone dispensing.
Worked example
A patient brings a CII for 60 tablets, but the pharmacy has only 20. The pharmacist may partially fill 20, record the partial fill, and has 72 hours to supply the remaining 40. If the balance cannot be supplied, the pharmacist notifies the prescriber and cannot dispense the remainder later on that prescription.
Traps
Do not transfer a CII; do not use Form 222 for CIII–V; do not assume a Nevada schedule always matches federal; do not forget PDMP reporting; do not treat a partial CII fill as an unlimited IOU.