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Substance Abuse Services - Prescription Drug Abuse

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Substance Abuse Services

Prescription Drug Abuse

More and more teens and young adults are using prescription drugs to get high. Abuse of prescription pain killers now ranks second—only behind marijuana—as the Nation's most widespread illegal drug problem.
To combat this, the Division sponsors a statewide reporting system for controlled substances. Controlled substances are medications that can be put to good use for medical reasons, but they are particularly prone to abuse. Pharmacists report into the system. Doctors and others look up a person’s existing prescriptions before giving new ones. This can prevent people from being given too many prescriptions or prescriptions they don’t medically need.  So far, over 71,000,000 prescriptions have been entered into the system.
Goals behind the reporting system are:

• To improve the state’s ability to identify people who abuse and misuse prescription drugs classified as controlled substances.
• To help doctors identify and refer for treatment patients misusing controlled substances. 

You can ask for your own personal information in the reporting system

• Fill out a request form,
• Get it notarized,
• Include a photo ID, and
• Mail to:

NC Controlled Substances Reporting System
3008 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-3008

•  Do NOT FAX

The Division also operates a Drug Control Unit. Anyone who makes, distributes, dispenses, or does research with controlled substances in North Carolina must register with this unit and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Working with the DEA, the unit prevents the misuse of controlled substances, which includes certain prescription drugs, by enforcing rules covering storage, record keeping and dispensing. Members of the Drug Control Unit make onsite inspections, review records and investigate when drugs are found missing.