Category: Controlled drugs

Understand the legal requirements for controlled drugs, including prescribing, storage, record-keeping, and compliance with CD schedules.

Controlled drugs Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Prescription requirements Safe dispensing practices

Dental Prescriptions

Dental prescriptions can create uncertainty in practice, particularly around what dentists are legally allowed to prescribe and what pharmacists can safely supply. This article clarifies the legal position and the key practical rules.

Dentists are recognised as appropriate practitioners under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/regulation/214/made

👉 This means:

Controlled drugs Handling complaints and patient safety Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards Record-keeping requirements Remote and online pharmacy services Safe dispensing practices

Online Pharmacies and Remote Prescribing

The growth of online prescribing and distance-selling pharmacy services has introduced significant risks around the safe and appropriate supply of medicines. In response, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has strengthened its regulatory expectations for pharmacies operating remotely, particularly where prescribing is carried out online.

Pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists, and responsible pharmacists must ensure that any supply made through an online model meets both legal requirements and professional standards.

Registered pharmacies in Great Britain are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council under the Pharmacy Order 2010, which gives the GPhC enforcement powers over pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists, and pharmacy professionals.

Controlled drugs Medicines licensing Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Prescription requirements Safe dispensing practices

GnRH Analogues and Puberty Suppression

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues are used in clinical practice to suppress puberty. In the UK, their use in children and young people for gender incongruence or gender dysphoria is subject to specific legal restrictions.

Pharmacists must ensure they understand both the legislative framework and the practical implications for dispensing, particularly where prescriptions originate from private or non-UK prescribers.

The sale and supply of medicines in the UK is governed by the
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/contents
(Human Medicines Regulations 2012).

Controlled drugs Medicines licensing Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Poisons and hazardous substances Safe dispensing practices

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are substances designed to produce psychoactive effects similar to controlled drugs but may not initially fall under traditional drug control laws. Their regulation in the UK is primarily governed by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, a psychoactive substance is defined as a substance that:

“is capable of producing a psychoactive effect in a person”

Controlled drugs Handling complaints and patient safety Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Poisons and hazardous substances

Medicines and Driving (Drug Driving Law)

Medicines can affect a person’s ability to drive safely. UK law creates two separate drug driving offences, both of which may apply to patients taking prescribed or over-the-counter medicines.

The law is primarily set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/4

Controlled drugs Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy premises standards Record-keeping requirements Safe dispensing practices

Supply or Collection of Medicines by Children

Pharmacists may be asked to supply or hand over medicines to a child or young person, either:

There is no absolute legal prohibition on a child collecting medicines. However, the decision to supply must be made using professional judgement, taking into account medicines legislation and regulatory standards.

Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, medicines may be supplied to a patient or their representative.

Controlled drugs Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards

Secure environments

Secure environments include prisons, police custody suites, secure hospitals, immigration removal centres, and other places where individuals are detained. These settings present unique legal and operational considerations because they sit at the intersection of healthcare law, custodial law, and medicines legislation.

UK medicines legislation (e.g. the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) does not always explicitly refer to these environments. In practice, pharmacy services must apply principles from primary care or secondary care, depending on the context, while remaining within the relevant legal framework.

Where medicines are dispensed from an in-house prison pharmacy for administration or supply to patients within the same prison:

Controlled drugs

Controlled drugs legislation

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 establishes the overarching legal framework for the control of drugs classified as controlled drugs.

The Act makes it unlawful to possess, supply, produce, manufacture, import or export a controlled drug except where expressly permitted by:

The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 provide the detailed legal framework governing the lawful handling of controlled drugs, including:

Controlled drugs Prescription requirements Record-keeping requirements

Sativex

Sativex (nabiximols) is a prescription-only cannabis-based medicine used to treat moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Although it contains controlled substances (THC and CBD), it is not treated like traditional cannabis or other high-risk controlled drugs.

Instead, Sativex has a unique legal classification: it sits in Schedule 4 Part 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, but with some extra rules not normally applied to other drugs in that category.

🗂️ See official UK Government policy announcement on Sativex scheduling (gov.uk)