NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — A recent survey found about 6% of North Dakotans misuse prescription drugs each day. And with the rise of telemedicine in North Dakota, it’s easier to get access to prescription medication. So, to help decrease this potential problem, the Drug Enforcement Administration is laying down more rules.

These rules would provide safeguards for a narrow type of telemedicine consultations, which include telemedicine consultations by a medical practitioner that has never conducted an in-person evaluation of a patient AND that result in the prescribing of a controlled medication.
Controlled medicines include Adderall, Vicodin and Ambien, all medicines North Dakotans abuse regularly.

“Providers granted special registration with the DEA could be identified by the letter ‘T’ incorporated into their DEA number in a manner similar to that done for ‘X’ waivered providers, who sought to prescribe buprenorphine to help curtail the opiate epidemic,” said Thomas Milam, the Chief Medical Officer at Iris Telehealth.

The DEA worked closely with Veterans Affairs as well, because veterans are often prescribed these controlled substances to overcome physical and mental injuries from their service.

To learn more about these rules and what is or isn’t a controlled substance, click here.