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| ==Controlled drugs== | | ==Controlled drugs== |
| + | There are five schedules of controlled drugs: |
| + | # Schedule 1 drugs require a prescription from persons with a Home Office license so these are not applicable to veterinary practice; they include hallucinogenic drugs such as Ecstasy. |
| + | # Schedule 2 drugs include alfentanyl, amphetamines, fentanyl, methadone, morphine, pethidine, and secobarbital. Schedule 2 drugs must be kept in a locked cabinet, or in a locked cabinet that is secured to the car when used by ambulatory vets. A controlled drugs register must be kept to record the supply and use of the drugs, and disposal requires an authorised person such as a policeman to be present as a witness. The whereabouts of the controlled drugs cabinet key needs to be recorded on a register or,alernatively, all vets in the practice can be issued with a key. |
| + | # Schedule 3 drugs include benzphetamine, buprenorphine, midazolam, pentobarbital, and phenobarbital. These drugs have to be stored securely but none of them require a controlled drugs register. |
| + | #Schedule 4 drugs include benzodiazepines and ketamine; there is no specific legal requirement for safe storage or for a controlled drugs register, but as ketamine has increasingly been targeted as a drug of abuse in people, the RCVS now recommend that it is included in the locked cabinet and an informal register of supply and use kept. |
| + | #Schedule 5 drugs include codeine and morphine – they are present in very low amounts in veterinary medications and are exempt from all controlled drug requirements. |
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| ==The Drugs Cascade== | | ==The Drugs Cascade== |