Bill Permitting Off-Clinic Drug Dispensing Passes House
The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act heads back to the Senate.
![]() Rural and livestock veterinarians often are called upon to dispense controlled substances. AVMA |
Federal legislation that would legalize the transporting and dispensing of controlled drugs away from a veterinarian’s office moved a step closer to being enacted when the House of Representatives approved the measure by voice vote Tuesday.
The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act would authorize practitioners, particularly mobile and livestock veterinarians, to carry drugs away from their registered location and across state lines. Veterinarians commonly dispense drugs away from a clinic, but the Drug Enforcement Administration in recent years took what the American Veterinary Medical Association called a "narrow interpretation” of the Controlled Substances Act and forbid the practice.
The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act now moves back to the Senate, which approved a version in January.
"Today is a victory for veterinarians across this country, but more importantly, it’s a victory for the health and well-being of the animals they are entrusted to care for,” Dr. Schrader said. "Ridiculous bureaucratic interference from the DEA would have seriously impeded veterinarians’ ability to properly treat their patients.
Dr. Yoho worked as a large animal veterinarian in north-central Florida.
"This bill will correct that problem and allow veterinarians to practice their profession without fear of unnecessary government intrusion,” he said.
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