14—Amendment of section 18A—Restriction of prescription or supply of drug of dependence in certain circumstances
(1) Section 18A—before subsection (1) insert:
(a1) A person must not prescribe for a person or an animal a drug of dependence except as follows:
(a) a registered health practitioner may prescribe a drug of dependence for a person if the practitioner is acting in the ordinary course of the practitioner's profession and—
(i) the practitioner is a dentist, medical practitioner or nurse practitioner; or
(ii) the practitioner is a registered health practitioner whose registration is endorsed under section 94 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law as being qualified to prescribe a scheduled medicine or class of scheduled medicines and the drug is a scheduled medicine or of a class of scheduled medicines specified in the endorsement; or
(iii) the practitioner is authorised to prescribe the drug by the regulations;
(b) a veterinary surgeon may prescribe a drug of dependence for an animal if the veterinary surgeon is acting in the ordinary course of the veterinary surgeon's profession.
Maximum penalty: $10 000 or imprisonment for 2 years.
(2) Section 18A(1)—delete "medical practitioner or dentist" wherever occurring and substitute in each case:
registered health practitioner
(3) Section 18A(1)—delete "or dentist's"
(4) Section 18A(1)—delete "practitioner or dentist" wherever occurring and substitute in each case:
practitioner
(5) Section 18A(2)(b)(i)—delete "medical practitioner's or dentist's" and substitute:
practitioner's
(6) Section 18A(3)(a)—delete "medical practitioner or dentist" and substitute:
registered health practitioner
(7) Section 18A(4)—delete "medical practitioner or dentist" and substitute:
registered health practitioner
(8) Section 18A(5)(a)—delete "medical practitioner or dentist" and substitute:
practitioner
(9) Section 18A(6)—delete "temporary authority to a person" and substitute:
registered health practitioner authorised to prescribe a drug of dependence a temporary authority