Ketamine is a common, safe, injectable anesthetic used in veterinary medicine. In 1999, it became a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Federal Controlled Substance Act. Veterinary teams need to review the licit and illicit aspects of ketamine, how to deter and report theft associated with illicit demand and weak regulations, and the legal requirements surrounding the use of this controlled substance. If your hospital team has not updated its controlled substance protocols recently, this article is a good reminder.
Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 2017.
Every practitioner must maintain separate inventories and records of schedules III, IV, and V controlled substances separate from schedules I and II. The DEA requires that all controlled substance inventory records be updated every 2 years and be available for inspection. Beyond federal requirements, each state has its own requirements for record keeping, physical security, disposal, and inventory of controlled substances.
Also see: Considerations for controlling ketamine, Animal Health Digest, May 2, 2017.
INSIGHTS: Note the steps for preventing and reporting theft. Telephone service and sales representative teams could easily create a two- or three-week long campaign to ensure veterinary hospital customers are compliant and their records or methods have been updated.