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    • Getting Into the Weeds of USDA’s Hemp Production Program RegulationsFebruary 24th, 2021

      It seems as if the “hemp” debate has been raging forever.  Yet only a little over two years have passed since enactment of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, the “Farm Bill,” in December 2018 that amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 directing the …

    • New HHS Policy on Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder – Finally, Treatment is More Accessible than Opioids…. UPDATEJanuary 26th, 2021

      In the waning days of the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a fairly significant change in addiction medicine policy. The new policy permits physicians (and only physicians) more flexibility to prescribe buprenorphine – a much used and effective drug that …

    • The Long and Winding Road: DEA Issues Final Marijuana Registration RuleJanuary 8th, 2021

      More than four years ago the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) started down a path by issuing a policy statement asserting that the agency “fully supports expanding research into the potential medical utility of marijuana and its chemical constituents.”  Applications to Become Registered Under the Controlled …

    • Muddy Waters: Cannabis Trying to Find its GrooveDecember 18th, 2020

      Apropos for the name of the great blues musician, Muddy Waters, the various federal, state and international classifications of cannabis and cannabis-derived substances is a complex scheme in search of the right rhythm.  Cannabis and cannabis-derived substances are controlled within different schedules under the federal …

    • DEA Proposes Rule to Expand Partial Filling of Schedule II Prescriptions; Will the Benefit be Cost-Effective?December 11th, 2020

      Pharmacists, in general, can partially fill any prescription for non-controlled and most Schedule III-V controlled substances.  Partial filling has several benefits, including reducing waste and potentially lowering the cost of a prescription.  However, Schedule II (C-II) controlled drugs are an exception to general rule allowing …

    • FDA Law Alert – December 2020December 4th, 2020

      To close out 2020, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to present the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter highlighting key postings from our nationally acclaimed FDA Law Blog.  Please subscribe to the FDA Law Blog to receive contemporaneous posts on regulatory and enforcement …

    • Ready, Steady Go! Empire State Set to Establish Closed System For Cannabinoid Hemp Products Including CBDDecember 1st, 2020

      Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products are everywhere.  They are sold in pharmacies, as well as grocery, health food and convenience stores, and over the Internet.  To protect its citizens in the absence of federal requirements governing CBD and hemp-derived products for human consumption, the New York Department …

    • Code Blue All Clear: DEA Proposes Registering Emergency Medical Services AgenciesNovember 17th, 2020

      Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) that provides much needed clarity on the requirements for how emergency medical services handle controlled substances.  The NPRM would codify its regulations consistent with the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act …

    • Further Musings about DEA’s “Suspicious Order” Proposed Rule: What Will a Registrant be Required to Report?November 12th, 2020

      As we blogged about last week, DEA published its long-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) addressing suspicious orders of controlled substances.  The Proposed Rule is intended to (finally) “clarify” the procedures that DEA registrants must follow for what DEA now deems “orders received under suspicious …

    • No Longer “Waiting for Godot,” Godot has arrived. DEA Finally Issues a Proposed Rule on Suspicious OrdersNovember 3rd, 2020

      Today, more than two years after Congress passed the Preventing Drug Diversion Act of 2018 (PDDA) and after more than a decade of industry requests for regulations addressing the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) interpretation of suspicious order requirements under 21 C.F.R. § 1301.74(b), DEA has …

    • Hemp By Any Other Name…October 21st, 2020

      Back on August 20, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) issued an Interim Final Rule (“IFR”) purporting to “clarify” certain provisions of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“AIA”).  As we explained back when Congress passed the AIA in December 2018, the AIA upended the …

    • New York Opioid Stewardship Act: Take 2 from the Second CircuitSeptember 16th, 2020

      On Monday, September 14, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the December 2018 opinion from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that invalidated the New York Opioid Stewardship Act (OSA).  In Association for Accessible …

    • FDA Law Alert – September 2020September 10th, 2020

      During these unprecedented times, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to bring you the next installment of our quarterly newsletter highlighting key postings from our nationally acclaimed FDA Law Blog.  Please subscribe to the FDA Law Blog to receive contemporaneous posts on regulatory and …

    • DEA Publishes Proposed Rulemaking Addressing Reporting of Thefts and Significant Losses of Controlled SubstancesJuly 30th, 2020

      On July 29, 2020, DEA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled, “Reporting of Thefts or Significant Loss of Controlled Substances.”  (85 Fed. Reg. 45547 (Jul. 29, 2020)). See Federal Register notice here.  As registrants are well aware, the current DEA regulation addressing reporting to …

    • Up, Up and But Not Away: DEA Raises Registration FeesJuly 29th, 2020

      An interesting aspect of a federal or state administrative agency seeking appropriations or raising fees is its justification for doing so and the light it sheds on the priorities for fulfilling its mission.  The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (“DEA’s”) recent increase of initial registration and renewal …