Law: Prescription Limits

What are Prescription Drug Limit Laws?

A law setting prescribing or dispensing limits for controlled substances was included in the resource if it limits:

• The number of days after a prescription is issued during which a pharmacist is allowed to fill a prescription
• The quantity prescribed and/or dispensed of a controlled substance for no more than a specified days’ supply (including laws limiting the quantity prescribed and/or dispensed during an emergency period)
• The number of days’ supply for an individual practitioner prescribing multiple controlled substance medications
• The quantity or days supplied in refills for a controlled substance medication
• The number of days that a benefit plan will pay for (e.g., states where Medicaid will not pay for a new prescription until 85% of the days’ supply has elapsed)
• The quantity or days’ supply of controlled substances prescribed orally (including medications prescribed during an emergency period)
• The quantity or days’ supply of controlled substances prescribed by health care practitioners other than a physician (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, etc.)

States with Prescription Drug Limit Laws

35 States: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Prescription Limit Law Features by State

Features	Aspects of Feature	States
Limits to the number of days’ supply	For all prescriptions	NJ, OK, TX
	For specific schedules	AL, CA, CO, DE, IA, KY, MA, MS, MO, NV, NH, NY, NC, SC, UT, VT, WV
	For specific drugs or class of drugs	DE, KS, KY, NH, NY, WI
	For refills	CA, KS, MO, UT
	For emergency prescriptions	AL, AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, KS, LA, MD, MS, NV, NY, NC, PA, SC, TX
	For hospital pharmacies	MA
	For members of certain benefit plans	AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, IL, ME, MD, MN, MS, NJ, NY, NC, OK, PA, RI, TX, WY
	On multiple prescriptions	DC, IA, MS, NJ, TX, UT, VT
	For nurse practitioners	KY, NC, PA
	For oral prescriptions	AL, DC, FL, MS, NY, SC, TX
Limits based on dosage amounts	Limits based on schedule	DE, NJ, RI
	Limits based on specific drugs or classes of drugs	FL, OH
	Oral prescriptions	NY, PA, RI
	For specific schedule(s)	NY
	Based on a benefit plan or reimbursement	AZ, DE, IA, NJ