Legal Responsibilities of Nurses in terms of Narcotics

Definition of Terms
Narcotic drug refers to any drug which produces insensibility, stupor, melancholy, or dullness
of mind with delusions, and which may be habit-forming. Narcotic drugs include opium, opium
derivatives, and synthetic opiates.
The term dangerous drugs refer to prohibited drug or regulated drug. Prohibited drugs
include! opium and its active components and derivates such as heroin and morphine" cocoa leaf,
principally cocaine" alpha and beta eucaine" hallucinogenic drugs, such as mescaline, lysergic
acid diethylamide #L$%&, 'ndian hemp #mari(uana& and its derivatives.
Regulated drugs include! self-inducing sedatives such as secobarbital, phenobarbital,
pentobarbital, barbital, amobarbital, and any other drug which contains a derivative of barbituric
acid)s salt" any isomer or salt of amphetamine, such as ben*edrine or de+edrine and hypnotic
drugs such as metha,ualone.
Republic Act 6425 -nown as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972 covers the administration and
regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of controlled drugs. .ersons
authori*ed to prescribe or dispense these drugs are re,uired to register and have a special license
for this purpose.
Nurses in relation to Narcotics
't is important for every nurse to remember, in connection with the handling or administering of
narcotics, that under the law, the dispensing, administering, distribution, or giving away of
narcotic drugs to a patient by a registered physician, dentist, veterinary surgeon, or other
practitioner registered under the Narcotic %rugs Law, should be in the course of his professional
practice only and for legitimate medical purposes. %octors with such license prescribe these
drugs in a yellow form. Nurses may administer these drugs only upon the written order of a
physician duly licensed to prescribe such.
/ nurse has absolutely no legal right to have narcotic drugs in her possession, e+cept when she is
a pharmacist herself registered and licensed under the Narcotic %rugs Regulations, or an agent of
practitioners or institutions registered and licensed under the said Regulations, or unless she is a
patient.
/ny unused narcotic drugs left by a practitioner with a nurse, to be administered during his
absence must, upon discharge of the nurse, be returned to the practitioner, who will account for
the drugs in his records. /ny such narcotic drugs found in the possession of a nurse not at the
time when she is under the supervision of a practitioner shall be forfeited to the 0overnment.
1ontrolled drugs are -ept loc-ed in cabinets and only authori*ed persons shall have access to
them. These are counted and endorsed every shift. / safer method is to order in unit doses from
the pharmacy so that there is no danger of these drugs being pilfered.
/ nurse who administers any narcotic drug upon order of a physician who is neither registered
and licensed to dispense or deal in narcotic drugs nor specifically e+empted from such
registration, may be held criminally liable for unlawfully administering prohibited drugs. 2er
criminal liability will be as co-principal of the physician, for cooperating in the commission of
the offense #unlawful use of narcotic drugs&.
/ny person who, unless authori*ed by law, that administer any prohibited drug shall be sub(ect
to the penalty of imprisonment ranging from 34 years and one day to 45 years with a fine ranging
from .34,555 .45,555. 'n the case of a practitioner, the additional penalty of revocation of his
license to practice his profession shall be imposed.
'f the victim of the offense is a minor, the ma+imum of the penalty is 45 years imprisonment and
.45,555 fine shall be imposed on the offender. 'f the prohibited drug involved in the offense
caused the death of a victim thereof, the penalty of life imprisonment or death and a fine ranging
from .45,555 to .65,555 shall be imposed upon the offender.
References:
Robles, 0. and %ionisio, /. #4553&. Philippine Nursing Law, urisprudence, and !thics.
7ducational .ublishing 2ouse
8en*on, L. and 8en*on, R. #4559&. Professional Nursing in the Philippines. Tenth 7dition. 1:7
.ublishing, 'nc

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