Are You Following DEA Regulations When It Comes To Storage Of Prescription Drugs?

There are five different major categories when it comes to drugs in America, with each level having varying rules and regulations about how they can be prescribed and stored. Whether you work in a local pharmacy or a major hospital, all drugs must be stored and dispensed according to these laws or you risk heavy fines and potentially jail time. Remember, many of these drugs can be abused so making sure that you have a DEA-approved safe in which to keep your varying levels of classified drugs is essential, and here are a few reasons why that is.

DEA Sets The Standard

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) is the agency involved in monitoring drug use and making sure that companies and individuals follow the rules. As such, they set the bare minimum when it comes to what an approved storage facility is for each type of drug level in the aforementioned five categories. While you can store less restricted drugs in a higher-level storage safe, you cannot do the opposite. So, for example, you may store category five drugs in a category three safe, but you can never store category two drugs in a category three safe.

Cages And Vaults

Often larger companies and pharmacies that store these regulated drugs will keep all of them in a caged area or even a vault of some kind. These vaults and cages must be set to the highest possible standard of drugs kept in them. In some cases, the cage is just the exterior precaution and you will still have a DEA-approved safe for category one, two, and three drugs (the most highly regulated being one). Do not assume that just because you use a larger vault or cage you are immune from having safes. If the cage does not meet DEA standards or you could be fined.

Using A Consultant

The best and easiest way to set up your storage of restricted drugs is to use a consultant with experience in this area. That means talking to manufacturers or distributors of DEA compliant safes and working out which size would best fit your needs. They will also help work out security complaints they may have about your current store or offices layout so that you can prevent potential burglaries, including the introduction of strategically placed CCTV cameras and alarms that will trigger should anyone enter the storage area without proper authorization.