West Virginia MPJE (Pharmacy Jurisprudence) Practice Exam

The correct choice involves the differentiation of a practitioner's DEA number specifically for prescribing narcotics for opioid addiction treatment under the Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000). Under DATA 2000, practitioners who are authorized to prescribe medications for treating opioid addiction receive a unique identifier. This identifier is denoted by a second DEA number that contains the same digits as the original DEA number but is appended with a special suffix. The specific characteristics of the second DEA number are crucial for understanding how it's designated under the law. Practitioners authorized under DATA 2000 will have a suffix that commonly starts with the letter 'X.' This is significant as it denotes that the practitioner has completed the necessary training and has been granted permission to treat addiction specifically. The concept of having a single DEA number with a special identification code, or other formats that suggest separate but identical DEA numbers, does not accurately depict the specific regulatory intention behind DATA 2000’s provisions. The distinction provided by the additional suffix is meant to signify the authority and capability of managing patients with opioid use disorders distinctly from general practice. This ensures proper identification and adherence to regulations when prescribing controlled substances specifically for addiction treatment.