Drug Diversion Investigations & Enforcement Flashcards
7 cards from real DEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Drug Diversion Investigations & Enforcement flashcards as text
A pain management clinic prescribes the same high-dose opioid regimen to nearly all patients regardless of diagnosis or medical history. This pattern is known as:
Answer: 'Cookie-cutter' prescribing
'Cookie-cutter' prescribing, where a practitioner issues identical prescriptions to all patients without individualized assessment, is a major red flag for a pill mill operation.
A DEA registrant pharmacy discovers that a stock bottle of hydrocodone is missing. Under 21 CFR 1304.11, the registrant must conduct a biennial inventory. For this incident, however, the registrant must also:
Answer: File DEA Form 106 within one business day of discovering the loss
Theft or significant loss of controlled substances requires filing DEA Form 106 within one business day of discovery, separate from biennial inventory requirements.
In diversion investigations, 'pill mills' are most accurately defined as:
Answer: Medical practices that prescribe large quantities of opioids with little or no medical justification
Pill mills are medical practices — often operated by licensed physicians — that prescribe opioids or other controlled substances with minimal or no legitimate medical evaluation.
When executing an administrative inspection warrant at a DEA-registered pharmacy, investigators must:
Answer: Inspect during business hours and identify themselves as DEA officials
Administrative inspections must be conducted during business hours, and agents must identify themselves; they allow inspection of premises, equipment, and records of DEA registrants.
Which of the following best describes the legal standard for issuing a DEA Order to Show Cause to revoke a practitioner's DEA registration?
Answer: Probable cause that the practitioner's continued registration is inconsistent with public interest
DEA may issue an Order to Show Cause to revoke or suspend a registration when there is probable cause that continuation of the registration is inconsistent with the public interest under 21 U.S.C. § 824.
An undercover DEA agent successfully purchases a controlled substance from a physician without a physical examination or legitimate medical purpose. This investigative technique is called:
Answer: A controlled buy
A controlled buy is an undercover purchase of controlled substances, used to gather evidence that a practitioner is distributing drugs outside the course of legitimate medical practice.
Under the DEA's diversion control framework, which entity is primarily responsible for detecting and reporting suspicious orders of controlled substances?
Answer: DEA-registered distributors
DEA-registered distributors are required under 21 CFR 1301.74 to design and operate a system to identify suspicious orders and report them to DEA before shipping.