Law Update: Opioid Prescribing, (Mis)Information, Dispensing Decisions

Pharmacists and technicians face many legal and regulatory issues when dispensing prescriptions, besides the risk of making an error. Federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies and courts have made changes that impact prescribing and dispensing, especially for controlled drugs. Pharmacy staff need to be cognizant of penalties for excessive prescribing and dispensing of opioids, new standards for determining the validity of a prescription, oversight of information about medically controversial therapies, and limits on dispensing of politically divisive drugs.