The California registration system for habitues to schedule II drugs.

In order to help control abuse and prevent over-prescribing, California has developed triplicate prescriptions for Schedule II narcotics as well as a system for physicians to publicly register patients who are habitues to Schedule II Controlled Substances. A preliminary evaluation indicates that there is under-reporting and confusion among physicians about the system, but it has probably helped control Schedule II narcotic abuse in California while not depriving patients of needed treatment. Physicians appear to prescribe Schedule II narcotics for serious medical conditions but may underprescribe narcotics for some chronic pain patients and subject others to potential complications of high, chronic doses or oral narcotics which are combined with salicylate, acetaminophen, or phenacetin. Despite some defects, California's system of triplicate prescriptions and public registration of habitues appears a viable alternative to the removal of abusable, Schedule II drugs from the commercial market.