The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001

Provisions as to supply on prescription

16.—(1) A person shall not supply a controlled drug other than a drug specified in Schedule 4 or 5 on a prescription—

(a)unless the prescription complies with the provisions of regulation 15;

(b)unless the address specified in the prescription as the address of the person issuing it is an address within the United Kingdom;

(c)unless he either is acquainted with the signature of the person by whom it purports to be issued and has no reason to suppose that it is not genuine, or has taken reasonably sufficient steps to satisfy himself that it is genuine;

(d)before the date specified in the prescription;

(e)subject to paragraph (3), later than thirteen weeks after the date specified in the prescription.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), a person supplying on prescription a controlled drug other than a drug specified in Schedule 4 or 5 shall, at the time of the supply, mark on the prescription the date on which the drug is supplied and, unless it is a health prescription, shall retain the prescription on the premises from which the drug was supplied.

(3) A person supplying temazepam on prescription in accordance with a prescription form of a kind specified in regulation 2A(1)(a)(i) of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992 shall, at the time of the supply, enter on the form by electronic means the date on which the drug is supplied.

(4) In the case of a prescription containing a controlled drug other than a drug specified in Schedule 4 or 5, which contains a direction that specified instalments of the total amount may be supplied at stated intervals, the person supplying the drug shall not do so otherwise than in accordance with that direction, and—

(a)paragraph (1) shall have effect as if for the requirement contained in sub-paragraph (e) thereof there were substituted a requirement that the occasion on which the first instalment is supplied shall not be later than thirteen weeks after the date specified in the prescription;

(b)paragraph (2) shall have effect as if for the words “at the time of the supply” there were substituted the words “on each occasion on which an instalment is supplied”.