July 14, 2014

1 Min Read
Legislation to Help Veterinarians

The House of Representatives passed legislation, the “Veterinarian Medicine Mobility Act,” that will allow veterinarians to carry and dispense drugs outside of their registered locations. The legislation is designed to amend the Controlled Substances Act, which prohibits veterinarians from transporting controlled substances to administer and treat animals outside of their registered locations.

The reason for the legislation was that beginning in 2012 veterinarians who identified their residential address as their principal place of business began receiving notices from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that they were in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Many rural veterinarians with home-based practices provide mobile veterinary services. Prior to 2012 the DEA had recognized the circumstances surrounding the veterinary profession and provided them with the flexibility they needed to treat their animals in the field.

Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR), sponsor of the legislation and a veterinarian, said, “Ridiculous bureaucratic interference from the DEA would have seriously impeded veterinarians’ ability to properly treat their patients. The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act will provide veterinarians with the certainty they need to continue to providing mobile or ambulatory services for their animal patients.” Similar legislation passed the Senate earlier this year.

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