Drug Enforcement Agency
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the national drug enforcement agency of the United States, has a broad range of responsibilities. While the interdiction of illegal drugs and the enforcement of the laws against them are among the efforts of the national drug enforcement agency that receive the most media attention, the Drug Enforcement Administration also performs a great number of other tasks related to the control of drugs.
As a national drug enforcement agency, the Drug Enforcement Administration is involved in enforcing the laws against illegal drugs, operating on federal and local levels, as well as having involvement on an international level. However, the responsibilities of the national drug enforcement agency go well beyond efforts to control illegal drugs.
Legal drugs, such as prescription medications, also fall under the auspices of the national drug enforcement agency. The Drug Enforcement Administration also sees to it that legal drugs are prescribed in an appropriate fashion, as well. Doctors that specialize in pain relief have to answer to the DEA if something seems to be out of balance with the amount of controlled drugs that they are prescribing.
While, as with any profession, there are unscrupulous doctors, ones who will sell prescriptions to addicts, it is becoming more frequent for doctors specializing in pain management in a legitimate way to have their decisions questioned and their records gone over by the national drug enforcement agency. That is because they come to the attention of agents seeking to stamp out illegal use because of prescribing patterns that may not conform to the average or the designated norm.
Because pain is so subjective and personal, having the potential to be as individual as the person experiencing it, it is difficult to designate specific regulations that can successfully apply to every single person suffering pain. That makes it very important for doctors to keep good patient records in case the national drug enforcement agency decides to review them, making it easier for doctors to defend their pain medication prescription practices and decisions.
As a national drug enforcement agency, the DEA has many responsibilities. In addition to the more high profile illegal drug control tasks, the national drug enforcement agency also works towards making sure that prescription drugs are also controlled.
Disclaimer: Cliff Schaffer does not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article. |
