Site Feedback

Title 21

Displaying title 21, up to date as of 6/15/2026. Title 21 was last amended 6/15/2026.
eCFR Content

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the official legal print publication containing the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) is a continuously updated online version of the CFR. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR.

Learn more about the eCFR, its status, and the editorial process.

§ 290.10 Definition of emergency situation.

For the purposes of authorizing an oral prescription of a controlled substance listed in schedule II of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, the term emergency situation means those situations in which the prescribing practitioner determines:

(a) That immediate administration of the controlled substance is necessary, for proper treatment of the intended ultimate user; and

(b) That no appropriate alternative treatment is available, including administration of a drug which is not a controlled substance under schedule II of the Act, and

(c) That it is not reasonably possible for the prescribing practitioner to provide a written prescription to be presented to the person dispensing the substance, prior to the dispensing.