Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (Northern Ireand) 2002 (“the 2002 Regulations”) to correct defects in the amendments made to those Regulations by the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (“the 2006 Regulations”).

The 2006 Regulations introduced requirements that all private prescriptions containing controlled drugs in Schedules 1, 2 or 3 to the 2002 Regulations must be issued on a standard form which includes the prescriber identification number of the person issuing it, and that all such prescriptions must be submitted to the relevant National Health agency after the drug has been supplied.

The 2006 Regulations omitted however to exclude veterinary prescriptions from these requirements and regulations 4, 5 and 7(2) of these Regulations amend the 2002 Regulations to make the necessary exclusions.

Regulation 6(b) amends regulations 16(2) and Regulation 7 amends Regulation 23 of the 2002 Regulations, which contain requirements relating to the retention of private prescriptions, to remove from these requirements prescriptions (other than veterinary prescriptions) containing controlled drugs in Schedules 1, 2 or 3 to the 2002 Regulations.

Regulation 8 amends the commencement date in regulation 2(2) of the 2006 Regulations so that regulations 8(1) and 11 of those Regulations will come into operation on 1st January 2008.