Prescription Drugs

Photo: Map of the United States with prescription bottle in the middle
Legal Developments

View CQ StateTrack reports on recent legal developments concerning opioids:
(Large files; might take several minutes to load)

Photo: Map of the United States with prescription bottle in the middle
Legal Developments

View CQ StateTrack reports on recent legal developments concerning opioids:
(Large files; might take several minutes to load)

The Public Health Law Program provides selected resources for public health practitioners and their legal counsel.

State Laws on Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse

The United States is experiencing an unprecedented epidemic of prescription drug overdose deaths. The primary responsibility to regulate and enforce prescription drug practices falls to the states. State laws are often used to prevent various injuries, with demonstrated benefits, yet little information exists about the effectiveness of state statutes or regulations designed to prevent prescription drug abuse and diversion. In partnership with CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, PHLP created menus summarizing some of the legal strategies states have used to address prescription drug misuse, abuse, and overdose.

Learn more about prescription drug overdose on CDC’s Injury Prevention & Control page.

Disclaimer: Information available on this website that was not developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not necessarily represent any CDC policy, position, or endorsement of that information or of its sources. The information contained on this website is not legal advice; if you have questions about a specific law or its application you should consult your legal counsel.