Controlled substances are drugs regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy for potential abuse. DEA regulations and Pharmacy Board rules allow researchers to obtain and use controlled substances in research. Mississippi State University (MSU) researchers who receive, store, and use controlled substances in their research MUST comply with all relevant state and federal regulations, including all MSU policies and procedures related to working with these substances. Prescription or legendary drugs are defined by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy as drugs that are required by federal law to be labeled with one of the following statements prior to dispensing or delivery: (1) «Rx only» or (2) «Caution: Federal law limits this drug to use by or at the direction of a licensed veterinarian»; or a drug that, under any applicable federal or state law or regulation, is required to be available only by prescription or is limited solely to use by physicians. All persons who use these drugs in research MUST comply with all relevant government regulations regarding work with these substances. In addition, all researchers must use pharmaceutical-grade drugs (prescription drugs or controlled substances) in animal studies, unless an exemption has been specifically approved by MSU`s Institutional Committee for Animal Care and Use (IACUC). Once you have obtained a licence, you must complete a Controlled Substances Registration Form (see below) and email it to Trina Smith, Animal Care and Use Program Officer (ACUP Officer) at the Office of Research Compliance and Safety in tsmith@orc.msstate.edu. Your completed registration will be kept in our offices. To dispose of controlled substances, each researcher completes a Controlled Substances Disposal Form (see below) and submits it to the UPA officer, who provides additional instructions on the disposal process. For a full description of this process, see the SOP for the disposal of controlled substances below.

The process of obtaining AED registration is easy to initiate and our office will be happy to assist you, but approval can take up to 6 months during normal activity and up to a year with slower processing times due to COVID-19. All researchers who use controlled substances in a non-clinical setting must have a DEA registration certificate to do so. Before registering with the DEA, you must first register with the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy.