Under federal and state law (Title 21 CFR section 1306.07(b) and Health and Safety Code section 11158), authorized practitioners who are not specifically registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct a narcotic treatment program (NTP) may dispense on an emergency basis Schedule II narcotic medication (e.g., methadone) to patients for the purpose of initiating maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment (or both).

Key Requirements of the Rule:
• Practitioners may dispense up to a three-day supply of Schedule II narcotic medication while referral to opioid treatment is being arranged.
• Not more than a three-day supply may be dispensed to one person for one person’s use. This emergency treatment may not be renewed or extended.
• The rule is intended as a short-term emergency bridge until the patient can be admitted to a licensed NTP.

The Three Day Rule represents one pathway for practitioners to dispense Schedule II medications to initiate treatment for OUD. For more information about the Three Day Rule and other pathways to treat OUD, see Additional Resources.

For more information about licensed narcotic treatment programs, review the online provider directory or contact the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Licensing and Certification Division, Counselor and Medication Assisted Treatment Section at:

Website: DHCS Licensing and Certification
Email: DHCSNTP@dhcs.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 322-6682

Additional Resources

• DEA Guidance on Development of Revised Three Day Rule (Jan. 12, 2023)
• DEA Notice of Final Rule, Dispensing of Narcotic Drugs to Relieve Acute Withdrawal Symptoms of Opioid Use Disorder (Aug. 8, 2023)
• DEA Practitioner’s Manual, An Informational Outline of the Controlled Substances Act (Rev. 2023)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs (Fall 2024)
• California Department of Public Health, Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch, Resources: Health Care Providers
• Medical Board of California, Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances for Pain (July 2023)

Effective January 1, 2026, Assembly Bill (AB) 82 prohibits health care providers from reporting a prescription for or the dispensing of testosterone or mifepristone to the Controlled Substance Utilization and Evaluation System (CURES) or to the Department of Justice’s contracted prescription data processing vendor, currently Bamboo Health. Existing records for testosterone or mifepristone will be removed from CURES on or before January 1, 2027. For more information about CURES, visit https://oag.ca.gov/cures.

The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) fee will increase from $9 to $15 annually for licenses expiring on and after July 1, 2025. The fee is assessed at the time of license renewal on licensees that are authorized to prescribe, order, administer, or furnish Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, or Schedule V controlled substances.

Most licensees will see a $30 CURES fee due to the biennial renewal cycle. The fee covers the reasonable regulatory costs of the Department of Justice for operating and maintaining CURES, a critical element in the state’s continued effort to address the danger of opioid addiction stemming from prescription drug abuse.

For more information about CURES, visit: https://oag.ca.gov/cures.

The Board of Registered Nursing (Board) will no longer require public health nurse certificates to be renewed. Passage of Assembly Bill 2471 (Patterson, Chapter 717, Statutes of 2024) removed both the renewal requirement and associated fee for public health nurse certificates.

A licensee’s public health nurse certificate will remain valid as long as their registered nurse license remains active. Please note that licensees must still apply and pay a fee to renew their registered nursing license as well as any advanced practice registered nurse certificates they may hold.

Monitor the Board’s website, www.rn.ca.gov, for more information as it becomes available.

Beginning January 1, 2025, nurse practitioners who provides primary care to a patient population of which over 25% are 65 years of age or older must complete at least 6 of the 30 continuing education hours required to renew their registered nurse license, in a course in the field of gerontology, the special care needs of patients with dementia, or the care of older patients.

Compliance with these new requirements will be verified as part of the NP certificate renewal process.

Monitor the Board’s website, Continuing Education for License Renewal, for more information.

The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN or Board) has learned that scam artists posing as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents or Board investigators are calling California registered nurses as part of an extortion scheme. The scammers identify themselves as DEA agents or Board investigators, calling about ongoing investigations regarding their license issued by the BRN. The scammers tell victims their license may be suspended for illegal drug trafficking. The scammers may provide a “Notice of Suspension” letter with BRN’s letterhead and/or logo which includes statements that licensees must follow instructions given by the Board investigator. The scammers are also asking for licensee bank account information. The scammers’ phone number may show up as the BRN’s office number (916) 322-3350.

No DEA agent, BRN investigator or staff member will ever contact RNs by telephone to demand money or any other form of payment. If you receive a call such as the one described, refuse the demand for payment. Do not disclose any personal information, i.e., social security number, dates of birth, credit or debit card numbers.

Please also consider the following:

• If the caller is stating they are from the DEA, immediately report the threat to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• If the individual identifies themselves as a Board employee, please contact the Board at (916) 322-3350 and press 3 to be directed to the Board’s Enforcement unit or send an email to Enforcement.BRN@dca.ca.gov.
• If the phone number of the caller appears to be the Board’s number, it is recommended that you submit an online complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) using the FCC's Consumer Complaint form or contact the Board so it can provide this information to the FCC.
• DEA Warns Public of Extortion Scam by DEA Special Agent Impersonators