2020 New Hampshire Revised Statutes
Title XXX - Occupations and Professions
Title 318-B - Controlled Drug Act
Section 318-B:31 - Definitions.

Universal Citation: NH Rev Stat § 318-B:31 (2020)
    318-B:31 Definitions. –
In this subdivision:
I. [Repealed.]
I-a. (a) "Chronic pain" means a state in which pain persists beyond the usual course of an acute disease or healing of an injury, or that might or might not be associated with an acute or chronic pathologic process that causes continuous or intermittent pain over months or years. It also includes intermittent episodic pain that might require periodic treatment.
(1) For the purpose of this subdivision, chronic pain does not cover or in any way determine treatment for pain from terminal disease.
(2) For the purpose of this subdivision, chronic pain includes but may not be limited to pain defined as "chronic," "intractable," "high impact," "chronic episodic," and "chronic relapsing."
(b) A diagnosis of chronic pain made by a practitioner licensed in any of the states in the United States or the District of Columbia and supported by written documentation of the diagnosis by the treating practitioner shall constitute proof that the patient suffers from chronic pain.
II. "Controlled substance" means controlled drugs as defined in RSA 318-B:1, VI.
III. "Dispense" means to deliver a controlled substance by lawful means and includes the packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for such delivery.
IV. "Dispenser" means a person or entity who is lawfully authorized to deliver a schedule II-IV controlled substance, but does not include:
(a) A licensed hospital pharmacy that dispenses less than a 48-hour supply of a schedule II-IV controlled substance from a hospital emergency department or that dispenses for administration in the hospital;
(b) A practitioner, or other authorized person who administers such a substance;
(c) A wholesale distributor of a schedule II-IV controlled substance or its analog;
(d) A prescriber who dispenses less than a 48-hour supply of a schedule II-IV controlled substance from a hospital emergency department to a patient; or
(e) A veterinarian who dispenses less than a 48-hour supply of a schedule II-IV controlled substance to a patient.
IV-a. "Executive director" means the executive director of the office of professional licensure and certification.
IV-b. "Office" means office of professional licensure and certification, established in RSA 310-A.
V. "Patient" means the person or animal who is the ultimate user of a controlled substance for whom a lawful prescription is issued and for whom a controlled substance or other such drug is lawfully dispensed.
VI. "Practitioner" means a physician, dentist, podiatrist, veterinarian, pharmacist, APRN, physician assistant, naturopath, or other person licensed or otherwise permitted to prescribe, dispense, or administer a controlled substance in the course of licensed professional practice. "Practitioner" shall also include practitioners with a federal license to prescribe or administer a controlled substance.
VII. "Prescribe" means to issue a direction or authorization, by prescription, permitting a patient to lawfully obtain controlled substances.
VIII. "Prescriber"means a practitioner or other authorized person who prescribes a schedule II, III, and/or IV controlled substance.
IX. "Program" means the controlled drug prescription health and safety program that electronically facilitates the confidential sharing of information relating to the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances listed in schedules II-IV, established by the board pursuant to RSA 318-B:32.

Source. 2012, 196:2. 2015, 48:1, 2. 2016, 309:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017. 2019, 303:1, 2, 16, I, eff. Sept. 27, 2019. 2020, 39:18, eff. July 29, 2020.

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