SUBJECT: Medical Controlled Substances Transportation Act of 2015
Dear Messrs. Goodlatte, Conyers, Sensenbrenner and Ms. Jackson Lee:
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS), we want to provide our support for H.R. 3014, the Medical Controlled Substances
Transportation Act of 2015. The bill would authorize physicians, in agreement with the Attorney General,
to transport controlled substances from one practice setting to another practice setting or disaster area.
As you know, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 prohibits the transportation and storage of
controlled substances away from the site of storage that is registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA). This makes it illegal for, among other things, athletic team doctors to transport a limited quantity
of critical medications that might be needed for pain control or emergency management of life
threatening medical problems when traveling with their teams. As neurosurgeons who serve as team
physicians, this is highly problematic as we need the ability to maintain a limited supply of controlled
substances for those instances where a player is injured during games that are away from home.
In emergencies or disasters when there is significant trauma it is critical that a physician have immediate
access to controlled substances in order to adequately treat the patient. It should also be noted that
these medications are registered and subject to inspection by the DEA at any time.
We urge you to pass this bill out of the Judiciary Committee as soon as possible, and hope the House
will take swift action so physicians will be able to provide the highest level of appropriate medical care to
athletes and others injured in a disaster area.
Thank you for considering our comments. In the meantime, we stand ready to help move this bill
forward.
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