Pharmacist/Lawyer Presents at Annual Pumpian Lecture

Cardinal Health official discusses challenges related to the dispensing of controlled substances

By Rhonda Beier
March 23, 2009

The ethical dilemmas pharmacists face concerning the dispensing of controlled substances was the focus of this year’s Paul A. Pumpian Lecture held on March 4. Michael Mone, RPh, JD, FAPhA, vice president of anti-diversion and senior regulatory counsel at Cardinal Health, spoke to faculty, staff and students about the conflicting local, state, and federal laws concerning controlled substances and the resulting confusion for pharmacists serving patients who rely on these medications.

“It’s about ethics,” said Mone, who is both a lawyer and a pharmacist. “We look to ethics in pharmacy practice as we interpret signs and laws. We must know the consequences of our interpretations because if I make a decision based on my interpretation of the law, I must be willing as a professional to accept the consequences of my choice.”

Professional characteristics, especially one’s covenantal relationship with the client, are essential, says Mone, when it comes to dispensing controlled substances. “Are you always supposed to do what the law says? The law says a prescription is valid for sixty days, but if a teenage skateboarder comes in to refill his pain killer from fifty days ago, I am not going to refill it. However, if a cancer patient comes in on day sixty-one to refill her painkiller, do I give it to her? Ethically, I should and would even though that is not what the law says.”

Mone continued his discussion by expanding on ideas of corresponding liability for pharmacists, unclear codes and titles in partial dispensing of C-II laws, and fraudulent detection.

“Bottom line, I’m a professional. It really isn’t about uncertainty and conflict – leave that to the lawyers. It is our responsibility as pharmacists to do what is best for the patients. You can do high tech, but we should also do high touch. It is important to teach ethics to current pharmacy students because we are paid to use our brain and make morally correct choices before we hand out medicine,” concluded Mone.