Misuse of Drugs (Supervision of Prescription and Supply of Methadone) Regulations, 1998

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 225/1998
• Year: 1998

S.I. No. 225 of 1998.
MISUSE OF DRUGS (SUPERVISION OF PRESCRIPTION AND SUPPLY OF METHADONE) REGULATIONS, 1998.
I, BRIAN COWEN, T.D., Minister for Health and Children, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 (No. 12 of 1977), and the Health (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1997 ( S.I. No. 308 of 1997 ), hereby make the following regulations:
	1 Commencement	1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Misuse of Drugs (Supervision of Prescription and Supply of Methadone) Regulations, 1998.
(2) Save where otherwise expressly provided, these Regulations shall come into operation on the 16th day of July, 1998.
	2 Interpretation	2. (1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—
"Act of 1977" means the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 (No. 12 of 1977);
"Central Treatment List" means the record referred to in Regulation 3(2);
"drug treatment card" means a card which has issued to a person pursuant to Regulation 4;
"Eastern Health Board" means the health board established under Regulation 4 of the Health Boards Regulations, 1970 ( S.I. No. 170 of 1970 );
"health board" means a health board established under section 4 of the Health Act, 1970 (No. 1 of 1970);
"Minister" means the Minister for Health and Children;
"person keeping open shop for the dispensing or compounding of medical prescriptions or for the sale of poisons" has the same meaning as in Regulation 3 of the Regulations of 1988 ;
"prescription" means a prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner in compliance with Regulation 13(1) (form of prescriptions) of the Regulations of 1988;
"Regulations of 1988" mean the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 328 of 1988 );
"specified controlled drug" means a drug specified in the Schedule of these Regulations.
(2) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—
(a) a reference to a Regulation is a reference to a Regulation of these Regulations,
and
(b) a reference to a paragraph is a reference to a paragraph of the provision in which the reference occurs.
	3 Central Treatment List	3. (1) Where a registered medical practitioner intends to prescribe a specified controlled drug for the first time to a person who has presented to the registered medical practitioner for treatment, the registered medical practitioner shall not issue a prescription for the drug until he or she notifies the Eastern Health Board of the name, address and date of birth of the person.
(2) The Eastern Health Board shall maintain a record to be known and in these Regulations referred to as the "Central Treatment List" which shall contain the information notified to it under paragraph (1) and the list may be maintained in electronic form.
(3) Where a notification is made to the Eastern Health Board in accordance with paragraph (1), the Eastern Health Board shall inform the registered medical practitioner as to whether the person has previously been included in the Central Treatment List.
(4) The Eastern Health Board may amend an entry in or delete an entry from the Central Treatment List.
	4 Issue of drug treatment card	4. (1) A health board shall issue a drug treatment card in respect of a person participating in a programme of treatment involving the use of a specified controlled drug and in respect of whom the information referred to in Regulation 3(1) has been notified to the Eastern Health Board.
(2) A drug treatment card shall be valid for such period as may be specified on the card but in any case shall not be valid for more than one year from the date of issue.
	5 General prohibition on registered medical practitioner	5. (1) A registered medical practitioner shall not issue a prescription for a specified controlled drug other than on a form supplied by or on behalf of the Minister.
(2) From the 1st day of October, 1998, a registered medical practitioner shall not issue a prescription referred to in paragraph (1) other than to a person in respect of whom a drug treatment card has been issued and remains valid.
(3) Notwithstanding Regulation 13 of the Regulations of 1988, it shall be sufficient compliance with requirements of paragraph (1)(f) of that Regulation if the information required to be included on a prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner in accordance with paragraph (1) of this Regulation is impressed upon the prescription from an embossed drug treatment card.
	6 General prohibition on person keeping open shop for the dispensing or compounding of medical prescriptions or for the sale of poisons	6. (1) Subject to...