Independent Review of the Management of Controlled Drug Use in ...

2. Introduction and Background
2.1 Controlled Drugs
Controlled drugs are drugs which are defined by the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971 1 as dangerous or otherwise harmful, and have the potential for abuse or
misuse.
Controlled drugs have legitimate medical uses, and the legislation that
governs their use is designed not to interfere with a patient receiving the most
appropriate treatment. Doctors and dentists, as well as specified groups of
non-medical prescribers are therefore allowed to prescribe and administer a
wide range of controlled drugs.
Controlled drugs are an essential part of modern clinical care and can be used
in a wide variety of clinical settings, for example:
relief of acute pain after a heart attack or fracture;
relief of chronic pain;
palliative care in patients with terminal cancer;
treatment of drug dependence;
anaesthesia.
Controlled drugs also include benzodiazepines (tranquillisers and sleeping
tablets), anabolic steroids and growth hormones.
Strict legal controls apply to controlled drugs to protect patients and the public
and to prevent them being misused, obtained illegally or causing harm. These
include controls which govern how these medicines may be:
stored;
produced;
supplied;
prescribed.
The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2 divide controlled drugs into five schedules.
The schedule into which a controlled drug is placed is based on its benefit
when used in medicinal treatment, balanced against its harm if misused
(see Appendix A).
1 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/contents
2 . The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
http://legislation.gov.uk.nisr/2002/1/contents/made
3