Controlled Substances and Prescribing
Schedule II Prescriptions
Electronic Records and Exceptions
The general electronic-prescription requirement, statutory alternatives, emergency route, and record fields are separate from authority to prescribe or a clinical decision.
Structured Visual
Jurisdiction: TX; as of 2026-09-11; not legal advice; Render structure, refuse interpretation, cite, abstain, and hand off.
RENDER STRUCTURE · REFUSE INTERPRETATION · CITE · ABSTAIN · HAND-OFF: render structure, refuse interpretation, cite provenance, abstain when unsupported, and hand off to human review.
Scope and honesty note
Jurisdiction: Texas medical-practice statutes, as of 2026-09-11. This classroom page provides legal information, not legal or medical advice. It does not assess a patient, clinician, license, report, prescription, disclosure, privilege, disciplinary ground, offense, or outcome. Current statutes, agency rules, facts, procedure, and professional standards may differ. Render only pinned structure; refuse unsupported interpretation or action; cite, abstain, and hand off to qualified legal, medical, regulatory, or emergency professionals.
The rule in plain terms
Section 481.075 generally requires a practitioner prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance to use an electronic prescription containing the required information and validation. It expressly preserves the emergency route in Section 481.074(b-1), Section 481.0755, and applicable rules under Section 481.0761. Section 481.0755 lists non-electronic circumstances, including specified technological failures, veterinarian prescriptions, same-location or same-license circumstances, unsupported data requirements, and other qualified categories. A non-emergency alternative generally uses writing; a Schedule II written prescription requires the official form and required information and signatures. An emergency oral or telephonic route has its own requirements. The historical pre-2021 alternative in the full source is not treated as a present exception.
Statutory terminology
The chapter's practitioner, prescription, and other defined terms control classification. Verbatim statutory text: “In this chapter: (1) "Administer" means to directly apply a controlled substance by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or other means to the body of a patient or research subject by: (A) a practitioner or an agent of the practitioner in the presence of the practitioner; or (B) the patient or research subject at the direction and in the presence of a practitioner. (2) "Agent" means an authorized person who acts on behalf of or at the direction of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser. The term does not include a common or contract carrier, public warehouseman, or employee of a carrier or warehouseman acting in the usual and lawful course of employment. (3) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of state health services or the commissioner's designee. (4) "Controlled premises" means: (A) a place where original or other records or documents required under this chapter are kept or are required to be kept; or (B) a place, including a factory, warehouse, other establishment, or conveyance, where a person registered under this chapter may lawfully hold, manufacture, distribute, dispense, administer, possess, or otherwise dispose of a controlled substance or other item governed by the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. Section 801 et seq.) or this chapter, including a chemical precursor and a chemical laboratory apparatus. (5) "Controlled substance" means a substance, including a drug, an adulterant, and a dilutant, listed in Schedules I through V or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, 1-B, 2, 2-A, 3, or 4. The term includes the aggregate weight of any mixture, solution, or other substance containing a controlled substance. The term does not include hemp, as defined by Section 121.001, Agriculture Code, or the tetrahydrocannabinols in hemp. (6) "Controlled substance analogue" means: (A) a substance with a chemical structure substantially similar to the chemical structure of a controlled substance in Schedule I or II or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, 1-B, 2, or 2-A; or (B) a substance specifically designed to produce an effect substantially similar to, or greater than, the effect of a controlled substance in Schedule I or II or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, 1-B, 2, or 2-A. (7) "Counterfeit substance" means a controlled substance that, without authorization, bears or is in a container or has a label that bears an actual or simulated trademark, trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, number, or device of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser other than the person who in fact manufactured, distributed, or dispensed the substance. (8) "Deliver" means to transfer, actually or constructively, to another a controlled substance, counterfeit substance, or drug paraphernalia, regardless of whether there is an agency relationship. The term includes offering to sell a controlled substance, counterfeit substance, or drug paraphernalia. (9) "Delivery" or "drug transaction" means the act of delivering. (10) "Designated agent" means an individual designated under Section 481.074(b-2) to communicate a practitioner's instructions to a pharmacist in an emergency. (11) "Director" means the director of the Department of Public Safety or an employee of the department designated by the director. (12) "Dispense" means the delivery of a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research, by a practitioner or person acting under the lawful order of a practitioner, to an ultimate user or research subject. The term includes the prescribing, administering, packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for delivery. (13) "Dispenser" means a practitioner, institutional practitioner, pharmacist, or pharmacy that dispenses a controlled substance. (14) "Distribute" means to deliver a controlled substance other than by administering or dispensing the substance. (15) "Distributor" means a person who distributes. (16) "Drug" means a substance, other than a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device, that is: (A) recognized as a drug in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, official National Formulary, or a supplement to either pharmacopoeia or the formulary; (B) intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or animals; (C) intended to affect the structure or function of the body of man or animals but is not food; or (D) intended for use as a component of a substance described by Paragraph (A), (B), or (C). (17) "Drug paraphernalia" means equipment, a product, or material that is used or intended for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, or concealing a controlled substance in violation of this chapter or in injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter. The term includes: (A) a kit used or intended for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, or harvesting a species of plant that is a controlled substance or from which a controlled substance may be derived; (B) a material, compound, mixture, preparation, or kit used or intended for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, or preparing a controlled substance; (C) an isomerization device used or intended for use in increasing the potency of a species of plant that is a controlled substance; (D) testing equipment used or intended for use in identifying or in analyzing the strength, effectiveness, or purity of a controlled substance; (E) a scale or balance used or intended for use in weighing or measuring a controlled substance; (F) a dilutant or adulterant, such as quinine hydrochloride, mannitol, inositol, nicotinamide, dextrose, lactose, or absorbent, blotter-type material, that is used or intended to be used to increase the amount or weight of or to transfer a controlled substance regardless of whether the dilutant or adulterant diminishes the efficacy of the controlled substance; (G) a separation gin or sifter used or intended for use in removing twigs and seeds from or in otherwise cleaning or refining marihuana; (H) a blender, bowl, container, spoon, or mixing device used or intended for use in compounding a controlled substance; (I) a capsule, balloon, envelope, or other container used or intended for use in packaging small quantities of a controlled substance; (J) a container or other object used or intended for use in storing or concealing a controlled substance; (K) a hypodermic syringe, needle, or other object used or intended for use in parenterally injecting a controlled substance into the human body; and (L) an object used or intended for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marihuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, including: (i) a metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipe with or without a screen, permanent screen, hashish head, or punctured metal bowl; (ii) a water pipe; (iii) a carburetion tube or device; (iv) a smoking or carburetion mask; (v) a chamber pipe; (vi) a carburetor pipe; (vii) an electric pipe; (viii) an air-driven pipe; (ix) a chillum; (x) a bong; or (xi) an ice pipe or chiller. (18) "Federal Controlled Substances Act" means the Federal Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (21 U.S.C. Section 801 et seq.) or its successor statute. (19) "Federal Drug Enforcement Administration" means the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States Department of Justice or its successor agency. (20) "Hospital" means: (A) a general or special hospital as defined by Section 241.003; (B) an ambulatory surgical center licensed under Chapter 243 and approved by the federal government to perform surgery paid by Medicaid on patients admitted for a period of not more than 24 hours; or (C) a freestanding emergency medical care facility licensed under Chapter 254. (21) "Human consumption" means the injection, inhalation, ingestion, or application of a substance to or into a human body. (22) "Immediate precursor" means a substance the director finds to be and by rule designates as being: (A) a principal compound commonly used or produced primarily for use in the manufacture of a controlled substance; (B) a substance that is an immediate chemical intermediary used or likely to be used in the manufacture of a controlled substance; and (C) a substance the control of which is necessary to prevent, curtail, or limit the manufacture of a controlled substance. (23) "Institutional practitioner" means an intern, resident physician, fellow, or person in an equivalent professional position who: (A) is not licensed by the appropriate state professional licensing board; (B) is enrolled in a bona fide professional training program in a base hospital or institutional training facility registered by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration; and (C) is authorized by the base hospital or institutional training facility to administer, dispense, or prescribe controlled substances. (24) "Lawful possession" means the possession of a controlled substance that has been obtained in accordance with state or federal law. (25) "Manufacture" means the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of a controlled substance other than marihuana, directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of natural origin, independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis, and includes the packaging or repackaging of the substance or labeling or relabeling of its container. However, the term does not include the preparation, compounding, packaging, or labeling of a controlled substance: (A) by a practitioner as an incident to the practitioner's administering or dispensing a controlled substance in the course of professional practice; or (B) by a practitioner, or by an authorized agent under the supervision of the practitioner, for or as an incident to research, teaching, or chemical analysis and not for delivery. (26) "Marihuana" means the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not, the seeds of that plant, and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of that plant or its seeds. The term does not include: (A) the resin extracted from a part of the plant or a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the resin; (B) the mature stalks of the plant or fiber produced from the stalks; (C) oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant; (D) a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks, fiber, oil, or cake; (E) the sterilized seeds of the plant that are incapable of beginning germination; or (F) hemp, as that term is defined by Section 121.001, Agriculture Code. (27) "Medical purpose" means the use of a controlled substance for relieving or curing a mental or physical disease or infirmity. (28) "Medication order" means an order from a practitioner to dispense a drug to a patient in a hospital for immediate administration while the patient is in the hospital or for emergency use on the patient's release from the hospital. (29) "Narcotic drug" means any of the following, produced directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of vegetable origin, independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis: (A) opium and opiates, and a salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium or opiates; (B) a salt, compound, isomer, derivative, or preparation of a salt, compound, isomer, or derivative that is chemically equivalent or identical to a substance listed in Paragraph (A) other than the isoquinoline alkaloids of opium; (C) opium poppy and poppy straw; or (D) cocaine, including: (i) its salts, its optical, position, or geometric isomers, and the salts of those isomers; (ii) coca leaves and a salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of coca leaves; and (iii) a salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of a salt, compound, or derivative that is chemically equivalent or identical to a substance described by Subparagraph (i) or (ii), other than decocainized coca leaves or extractions of coca leaves that do not contain cocaine or ecgonine. (30) "Opiate" means a substance that has an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine or is capable of conversion into a drug having addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability. The term includes its racemic and levorotatory forms. The term does not include, unless specifically designated as controlled under Subchapter B, the dextrorotatory isomer of 3-methoxy-n-methylmorphinan and its salts (dextromethorphan). (31) "Opium poppy" means the plant of the species Papaver somniferum L., other than its seeds. (32) "Patient" means a human for whom or an animal for which a drug: (A) is administered, dispensed, delivered, or prescribed by a practitioner; or (B) is intended to be administered, dispensed, delivered, or prescribed by a practitioner. (33) "Person" means an individual, corporation, government, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, or any other legal entity. (34) "Pharmacist" means a person licensed by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to practice pharmacy and who acts as an agent for a pharmacy. (35) "Pharmacist-in-charge" means the pharmacist designated on a pharmacy license as the pharmacist who has the authority or responsibility for the pharmacy's compliance with this chapter and other laws relating to pharmacy. (36) "Pharmacy" means a facility licensed by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy where a prescription for a controlled substance is received or processed in accordance with state or federal law. (37) "Poppy straw" means all parts, other than the seeds, of the opium poppy, after mowing. (38) "Possession" means actual care, custody, control, or management. (39) "Practitioner" means: (A) a physician, dentist, veterinarian, podiatrist, scientific investigator, or other person licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, analyze, conduct research with respect to, or administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this state; (B) a pharmacy, hospital, or other institution licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this state; (C) a person practicing in and licensed by another state as a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or podiatrist, having a current Federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration number, who may legally prescribe Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances in that state; or (D) an advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant to whom a physician has delegated the authority to prescribe or order a drug or device under Section 157.0511, 157.0512, or 157.054, Occupations Code. (40) "Prescribe" means the act of a practitioner to authorize a controlled substance to be dispensed to an ultimate user. (41) "Prescription" means an order by a practitioner to a pharmacist for a controlled substance for a particular patient that specifies: (A) the date of issue; (B) the name and address of the patient or, if the controlled substance is prescribed for an animal, the species of the animal and the name and address of its owner; (C) the name and quantity of the controlled substance prescribed with the quantity shown numerically followed by the number written as a word if the order is written or, if the order is communicated orally or telephonically, with the quantity given by the practitioner and transcribed by the pharmacist numerically; (D) directions for the use of the drug; (E) the intended use of the drug unless the practitioner determines the furnishing of this information is not in the best interest of the patient; and (F) the legibly printed or stamped name, address, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration number, and telephone number of the practitioner at the practitioner's usual place of business. (42) "Principal place of business" means a location where a person manufactures, distributes, dispenses, analyzes, or possesses a controlled substance. The term does not include a location where a practitioner dispenses a controlled substance on an outpatient basis unless the controlled substance is stored at that location. (43) "Production" includes the manufacturing, planting, cultivating, growing, or harvesting of a controlled substance. (44) "Raw material" means a compound, material, substance, or equipment used or intended for use, alone or in any combination, in manufacturing a controlled substance. (45) "Registrant" means a person who has a current Federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. (46) "Substitution" means the dispensing of a drug or a brand of drug other than that which is ordered or prescribed. (47) "Official prescription form" means a prescription form that is used for a Schedule II controlled substance under Section 481.0755 and contains the prescription information required by Section 481.0755(e). (48) "Ultimate user" means a person who has lawfully obtained and possesses a controlled substance for the person's own use, for the use of a member of the person's household, or for administering to an animal owned by the person or by a member of the person's household. (49) "Adulterant or dilutant" means any material that increases the bulk or quantity of a controlled substance, regardless of its effect on the chemical activity of the controlled substance. (50) "Abuse unit" means: (A) except as provided by Paragraph (B): (i) a single unit on or in any adulterant, dilutant, or similar carrier medium, including marked or perforated blotter paper, a tablet, gelatin wafer, sugar cube, or stamp, or other medium that contains any amount of a controlled substance listed in Penalty Group 1-A, if the unit is commonly used in abuse of that substance; or (ii) each 10 milligrams of paper, calculated by rounding the weight down to the nearest whole number, if the adulterant, dilutant, or carrier medium is paper not marked or perforated into individual abuse units; or (B) if the controlled substance is in liquid or solid form, 40 micrograms of the controlled substance including any adulterant or dilutant. (51) "Chemical precursor" means: (A) Methylamine; (B) Ethylamine; (C) D-lysergic acid; (D) Ergotamine tartrate; (E) Diethyl malonate; (F) Malonic acid; (G) Ethyl malonate; (H) Barbituric acid; (I) Piperidine; (J) N-acetylanthranilic acid; (K) Pyrrolidine; (L) Phenylacetic acid; (M) Anthranilic acid; (N) Ephedrine; (O) Pseudoephedrine; (P) Norpseudoephedrine; or (Q) Phenylpropanolamine. (52) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety. (53) "Chemical laboratory apparatus" means any item of equipment designed, made, or adapted to manufacture a controlled substance or a controlled substance analogue, including: (A) a condenser; (B) a distilling apparatus; (C) a vacuum drier; (D) a three-neck or distilling flask; (E) a tableting machine; (F) an encapsulating machine; (G) a filter, Buchner, or separatory funnel; (H) an Erlenmeyer, two-neck, or single-neck flask; (I) a round-bottom, Florence, thermometer, or filtering flask; (J) a Soxhlet extractor; (K) a transformer; (L) a flask heater; (M) a heating mantel; or (N) an adaptor tube. (54) "Health information exchange" means an organization that: (A) assists in the transmission or receipt of health-related information among organizations transmitting or receiving the information according to nationally recognized standards and under an express written agreement; (B) as a primary business function, compiles or organizes health-related information that is designed to be securely transmitted by the organization among physicians, health care providers, or entities within a region, state, community, or hospital system; or (C) assists in the transmission or receipt of electronic health-related information among physicians, health care providers, or entities within: (i) a hospital system; (ii) a physician organization; (iii) a health care collaborative, as defined by Section 848.001, Insurance Code; (iv) an accountable care organization participating in the Pioneer Model under the initiative by the Innovation Center of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; or (v) an accountable care organization participating in the Medicare shared savings program under 42 U.S.C. Section 1395jjj. Text of subdivision as added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.1227, eff. April 2, 2015 (55) "Executive commissioner" means the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. Text of subdivision as added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1268 (S.B. 195), Sec. 2 (55) "Board" means the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.” Legal citation: Tex. Health Safety Code § 481.002. Pinned source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/texas/health_safety/chapter_481/section_481_002/tex_hs_481_002_1da910b32f71/tex_health_safety_code_sec_481_002_definitions_in_this_chapt_0001/index.html; data via neochart.com, snapshot 2026-09-11.
Prescription framework and emergency route
The prescription rules include the emergency oral or telephonic path cross-referenced by Section 481.075. Verbatim statutory text: “(a) A pharmacist may not: (1) dispense or deliver a controlled substance or cause a controlled substance to be dispensed or delivered under the pharmacist's direction or supervision except under a valid prescription and in the course of professional practice; (2) dispense a controlled substance if the pharmacist knows or should have known that the prescription was issued without a valid patient-practitioner relationship; (3) fill a prescription that is not prepared or issued as prescribed by this chapter; (4) permit or allow a person who is not a licensed pharmacist or pharmacist intern to dispense, distribute, or in any other manner deliver a controlled substance even if under the supervision of a pharmacist, except that after the pharmacist or pharmacist intern has fulfilled his professional and legal responsibilities, a nonpharmacist may complete the actual cash or credit transaction and delivery; or (5) permit the delivery of a controlled substance to any person not known to the pharmacist, the pharmacist intern, or the person authorized by the pharmacist to deliver the controlled substance without first requiring identification of the person taking possession of the controlled substance, except as provided by Subsection (n). (b) Except in an emergency as defined by board rule under Subsection (b-1) or as otherwise provided by Section 481.075(j) or (m) or 481.0755, a person may not dispense or administer a controlled substance without an electronic prescription that meets the requirements of and is completed by the practitioner in accordance with Section 481.075. (b-1) In an emergency as defined by board rule, a person may dispense or administer a controlled substance on the oral or telephonically communicated prescription of a practitioner. The person who administers or dispenses the substance shall: (1) if the person is a prescribing practitioner or a pharmacist, promptly comply with Subsection (c); or (2) if the person is not a prescribing practitioner or a pharmacist, promptly write the oral or telephonically communicated prescription and include in the written record of the prescription the name, address, and Federal Drug Enforcement Administration number issued for prescribing a controlled substance in this state of the prescribing practitioner, all information required to be provided by a practitioner under Section 481.075(e)(1), and all information required to be provided by a dispensing pharmacist under Section 481.075(e)(2). (b-2) In an emergency described by Subsection (b-1), an agent designated in writing by a practitioner defined by Section 481.002(39)(A) may communicate a prescription by telephone. A practitioner who designates a different agent shall designate that agent in writing and maintain the designation in the same manner in which the practitioner initially designated an agent under this subsection. On the request of a pharmacist, a practitioner shall furnish a copy of the written designation. This subsection does not relieve a practitioner or the practitioner's designated agent from the requirement of Subchapter A, Chapter 562, Occupations Code. A practitioner is personally responsible for the actions of the designated agent in communicating a prescription to a pharmacist. (c) Not later than the seventh day after the date a prescribing practitioner authorizes an emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription, the prescribing practitioner shall cause an electronic prescription, completed in the manner required by Section 481.075, to be delivered to the dispensing pharmacist at the pharmacy where the prescription was dispensed. On receipt of the electronic prescription, the pharmacist shall annotate the electronic prescription record with the original authorization and date of the emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription. (d) Except as specified in Subsections (e) and (f), the board, by rule and in consultation with the Texas Medical Board, shall establish the period after the date on which the prescription is issued that a person may fill a prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II. A person may not refill a prescription for a substance listed in Schedule II. (d-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), a prescribing practitioner may issue multiple prescriptions authorizing the patient to receive a total of up to a 90-day supply of a Schedule II controlled substance if: (1) each separate prescription is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by a prescribing practitioner acting in the usual course of professional practice; (2) the prescribing practitioner provides instructions on each prescription to be filled at a later date indicating the earliest date on which a pharmacy may fill each prescription; (3) the prescribing practitioner concludes that providing the patient with multiple prescriptions in this manner does not create an undue risk of diversion or abuse; and (4) the issuance of multiple prescriptions complies with other applicable state and federal laws. (e) The partial filling of a prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II is permissible in accordance with applicable federal law. (f) A prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance for a patient in a long-term care facility (LTCF) or for a hospice patient with a medical diagnosis documenting a terminal illness may be filled in partial quantities to include individual dosage units. If there is any question about whether a hospice patient may be classified as having a terminal illness, the pharmacist must contact the practitioner before partially filling the prescription. Both the pharmacist and the practitioner have a corresponding responsibility to assure that the controlled substance is for a terminally ill hospice patient. The pharmacist must record the prescription in the electronic prescription record and must indicate in the electronic prescription record whether the patient is a "terminally ill hospice patient" or an "LTCF patient." A prescription that is partially filled and does not contain the notation "terminally ill hospice patient" or "LTCF patient" is considered to have been filled in violation of this chapter. For each partial filling, the dispensing pharmacist shall record in the electronic prescription record the date of the partial filling, the quantity dispensed, the remaining quantity authorized to be dispensed, and the identification of the dispensing pharmacist. Before any subsequent partial filling, the pharmacist must determine that the additional partial filling is necessary. The total quantity of Schedule II controlled substances dispensed in all partial fillings may not exceed the total quantity prescribed. Schedule II prescriptions for patients in a long-term care facility or hospice patients with a medical diagnosis documenting a terminal illness are valid for a period not to exceed 60 days following the issue date unless sooner terminated by discontinuance of the medication. (g) A person may not dispense a controlled substance in Schedule III or IV that is a prescription drug under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. Section 301 et seq.) without a prescription of a practitioner defined by Section 481.002(39)(A) or (D), except that the practitioner may dispense the substance directly to an ultimate user. A prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule III or IV may not be filled or refilled later than six months after the date on which the prescription is issued and may not be refilled more than five times, unless the prescription is renewed by the practitioner. A prescription under this subsection must comply with other applicable state and federal laws. (h) A pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance listed in Schedule III, IV, or V under a prescription issued by a practitioner defined by Section 481.002(39)(C) only if the pharmacist determines that the prescription was issued for a valid medical purpose and in the course of professional practice. A prescription described by this subsection may not be filled or refilled later than six months after the date the prescription is issued and may not be refilled more than five times, unless the prescription is renewed by the practitioner. (i) A person may not dispense a controlled substance listed in Schedule V and containing 200 milligrams or less of codeine, or any of its salts, per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams, or containing 100 milligrams or less of dihydrocodeine, or any of its salts, per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams, without the prescription of a practitioner defined by Section 481.002(39)(A), except that a practitioner may dispense the substance directly to an ultimate user. A prescription issued under this subsection may not be filled or refilled later than six months after the date the prescription is issued and may not be refilled more than five times, unless the prescription is renewed by the practitioner. (j) A practitioner or institutional practitioner may not allow a patient, on the patient's release from the hospital, to possess a controlled substance prescribed by the practitioner unless: (1) the substance was dispensed under a medication order while the patient was admitted to the hospital; (2) the substance is in a properly labeled container; and (3) the patient possesses not more than a seven-day supply of the substance. (k) A prescription for a controlled substance must show: (1) the quantity of the substance prescribed: (A) numerically, if the prescription is electronic; or (B) if the prescription is communicated orally or telephonically, as transcribed by the receiving pharmacist; (2) the date of issue; (2-a) if the prescription is issued for a Schedule II controlled substance to be filled at a later date under Subsection (d-1), the earliest date on which a pharmacy may fill the prescription; (3) the name, address, and date of birth or age of the patient or, if the controlled substance is prescribed for an animal, the species of the animal and the name and address of its owner; (4) the name and strength of the controlled substance prescribed; (5) the directions for use of the controlled substance; (6) the intended use of the substance prescribed unless the practitioner determines the furnishing of this information is not in the best interest of the patient; and (7) the name, address, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration number, and telephone number of the practitioner at the practitioner's usual place of business. (l) A pharmacist may exercise his professional judgment in refilling a prescription for a controlled substance in Schedule III, IV, or V without the authorization of the prescribing practitioner provided: (1) failure to refill the prescription might result in an interruption of a therapeutic regimen or create patient suffering; (2) either: (A) a natural or manmade disaster has occurred which prohibits the pharmacist from being able to contact the practitioner; or (B) the pharmacist is unable to contact the practitioner after reasonable effort; (3) the quantity of prescription drug dispensed does not exceed a 72-hour supply; (4) the pharmacist informs the patient or the patient's agent at the time of dispensing that the refill is being provided without such authorization and that authorization of the practitioner is required for future refills; and (5) the pharmacist informs the practitioner of the emergency refill at the earliest reasonable time. (l-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (l), in the event of a natural or manmade disaster, a pharmacist may dispense not more than a 30-day supply of a prescription drug, other than a controlled substance listed in Schedule II, without the authorization of the prescribing practitioner if: (1) failure to refill the prescription might result in an interruption of a therapeutic regimen or create patient suffering; (2) the natural or manmade disaster prohibits the pharmacist from being able to contact the practitioner; (3) the governor has declared a state of disaster under Chapter 418, Government Code; and (4) the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, through its executive director, has notified pharmacies in this state that pharmacists may dispense up to a 30-day supply of a prescription drug. (l-2) The prescribing practitioner is not liable for an act or omission by a pharmacist in dispensing a prescription drug under Subsection (l-1). (m) A pharmacist may permit the delivery of a controlled substance by an authorized delivery person, by a person known to the pharmacist, a pharmacist intern, or the authorized delivery person, or by mail to the person or address of the person authorized by the prescription to receive the controlled substance. If a pharmacist permits delivery of a controlled substance under this subsection, the pharmacist shall retain in the records of the pharmacy for a period of not less than two years: (1) the name of the authorized delivery person, if delivery is made by that person; (2) the name of the person known to the pharmacist, a pharmacist intern, or the authorized delivery person if delivery is made by that person; or (3) the mailing address to which delivery is made, if delivery is made by mail. (n) A pharmacist may permit the delivery of a controlled substance to a person not known to the pharmacist, a pharmacist intern, or the authorized delivery person without first requiring the identification of the person to whom the controlled substance is delivered if the pharmacist determines that an emergency exists and that the controlled substance is needed for the immediate well-being of the patient for whom the controlled substance is prescribed. If a pharmacist permits delivery of a controlled substance under this subsection, the pharmacist shall retain in the records of the pharmacy for a period of not less than two years all information relevant to the delivery known to the pharmacist, including the name, address, and date of birth or age of the person to whom the controlled substance is delivered. (o) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (p) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (q) Each dispensing pharmacist shall send all required information to the board by electronic transfer or another form approved by the board not later than the next business day after the date the prescription is completely filled.” Legal citation: Tex. Health Safety Code § 481.074. Pinned source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/texas/health_safety/chapter_481/section_481_074/tex_hs_481_074_a52aeb83e1ea/tex_health_safety_code_sec_481_074_prescriptions_0001/index.html; data via neochart.com, snapshot 2026-09-11.
Schedule II electronic prescription
The general electronic rule, information, validation, pharmacist duties, and specified medication-order and other provisions retain their qualifications. Verbatim statutory text: “(a) A practitioner who prescribes a controlled substance listed in Schedule II shall, except as provided by Section 481.074(b-1) or 481.0755 or a rule adopted under Section 481.0761, record the prescription in an electronic prescription that includes the information required by this section. (b) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (c) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (d) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (e) Each prescription used to prescribe a Schedule II controlled substance must contain: (1) information provided by the prescribing practitioner, including: (A) the date the prescription is issued; (B) the controlled substance prescribed; (C) the quantity of controlled substance prescribed, shown numerically; (D) the intended use of the controlled substance, or the diagnosis for which the controlled substance is prescribed, and the instructions for use of the substance; (E) the practitioner's name, address, and Federal Drug Enforcement Administration number issued for prescribing a controlled substance in this state; (F) the name, address, and date of birth or age of the person for whom the controlled substance is prescribed; and (G) if the prescription is issued to be filled at a later date under Section 481.074(d-1), the earliest date on which a pharmacy may fill the prescription; (2) information provided by the dispensing pharmacist, including the date the prescription is filled; and (3) the prescribing practitioner's electronic signature or other secure method of validation authorized by federal law. (f) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (g) Except for an emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription described by Section 481.074(b-1), the prescribing practitioner shall: (1) record or direct a designated agent to record in the electronic prescription each item of information required to be provided by the prescribing practitioner under Subsection (e)(1), unless the practitioner determines that: (A) under rule adopted by the board for this purpose, it is unnecessary for the practitioner or the practitioner's agent to provide the patient identification number; or (B) it is not in the best interest of the patient for the practitioner or practitioner's agent to provide information regarding the intended use of the controlled substance or the diagnosis for which it is prescribed; and (2) electronically sign or validate the electronic prescription as authorized by federal law and transmit the prescription to the dispensing pharmacy. (h) In the case of an emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription described by Section 481.074(b-1), the prescribing practitioner shall give the dispensing pharmacy the information needed to complete the electronic prescription record. (i) Each dispensing pharmacist shall: (1) note in the electronic prescription record each item of information given orally to the dispensing pharmacy under Subsection (h) and the date the prescription is filled and appropriately record the identity of the dispensing pharmacist in the electronic prescription record; (2) retain with the records of the pharmacy for at least two years: (A) the electronic prescription record; and (B) the name or other patient identification required by Section 481.074(m) or (n); (3) send all required information, including any information required to complete an electronic prescription record, to the board by electronic transfer or another form approved by the board not later than the next business day after the date the prescription is completely filled; and (4) if the pharmacy does not dispense any controlled substance prescriptions during a period of seven consecutive days, send a report to the board indicating that the pharmacy did not dispense any controlled substance prescriptions during that period, unless the pharmacy has obtained a waiver or permission to delay reporting to the board. (j) A medication order written for a patient who is admitted to a hospital at the time the medication order is written and filled is not required to be recorded in an electronic prescription record that meets the requirements of this section. (k) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (l) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1105 (H.B. 2174), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2019. (m) A pharmacy in this state may fill a prescription for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II issued by a practitioner in another state if: (1) a share of the pharmacy's business involves the dispensing and delivery or mailing of controlled substances; (2) the prescription is issued by a prescribing practitioner in the other state in the ordinary course of practice; and (3) the prescription is filled in compliance with a written plan providing the manner in which the pharmacy may fill a Schedule II prescription issued by a practitioner in another state that: (A) is submitted by the pharmacy to the board; and (B) is approved by the board. (n) A person dispensing a Schedule II controlled substance under a prescription shall provide written notice, as defined by board rule adopted under Subsection (o), on the safe disposal of controlled substance prescription drugs, unless: (1) the Schedule II controlled substance prescription drug is dispensed at a pharmacy or other location that: (A) is authorized to take back those drugs for safe disposal; and (B) regularly accepts those drugs for safe disposal; or (2) the dispenser provides to the person to whom the Schedule II controlled substance prescription drug is dispensed, at the time of dispensation and at no cost to the person: (A) a mail-in pouch for surrendering unused controlled substance prescription drugs; or (B) chemicals to render any unused drugs unusable or non-retrievable. (o) The board shall adopt rules to prescribe the form of the written notice on the safe disposal of controlled substance prescription drugs required under Subsection (n). The notice must include information on locations at which Schedule II controlled substance prescription drugs are accepted for safe disposal. The notice, in lieu of listing those locations, may provide the address of an Internet website specified by the board that provides a searchable database of locations at which Schedule II controlled substance prescription drugs are accepted for safe disposal. (p) The board may take disciplinary action against a person who fails to comply with Subsection (n).” Legal citation: Tex. Health Safety Code § 481.075. Pinned source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/texas/health_safety/chapter_481/section_481_075/tex_hs_481_075_d9c3bc5813e4/tex_health_safety_code_sec_481_075_schedule_ii_prescriptions_0001/index.html; data via neochart.com, snapshot 2026-09-11.
Written and emergency alternatives
This provision lists circumstances permitting non-electronic prescriptions and preserves separate written-form and emergency requirements. Verbatim statutory text: “(a) Notwithstanding Sections 481.074 and 481.075, a prescription for a controlled substance is not required to be issued electronically and may be issued in writing if the prescription is issued: (1) by a veterinarian; (2) in circumstances in which electronic prescribing is not available due to temporary technological or electronic failure, as prescribed by board rule; (3) by a practitioner to be dispensed by a pharmacy located outside this state, as prescribed by board rule; (4) when the prescriber and dispenser are in the same location or under the same license; (5) in circumstances in which necessary elements are not supported by the most recently implemented national data standard that facilitates electronic prescribing; (6) for a drug for which the United States Food and Drug Administration requires additional information in the prescription that is not possible with electronic prescribing; (7) for a non-patient-specific prescription pursuant to a standing order, approved protocol for drug therapy, collaborative drug management, or comprehensive medication management, in response to a public health emergency or in other circumstances in which the practitioner may issue a non-patient-specific prescription; (8) for a drug under a research protocol; (9) by a practitioner who has received a waiver under Section 481.0756 from the requirement to use electronic prescribing; (10) under circumstances in which the practitioner has the present ability to submit an electronic prescription but reasonably determines that it would be impractical for the patient to obtain the drugs prescribed under the electronic prescription in a timely manner and that a delay would adversely impact the patient's medical condition; or (11) before January 1, 2021. (b) A dispensing pharmacist who receives a controlled substance prescription in a manner other than electronically is not required to verify that the prescription is exempt from the requirement that it be submitted electronically. The pharmacist may dispense a controlled substance pursuant to an otherwise valid written, oral, or telephonically communicated prescription consistent with the requirements of this subchapter. (c) Except in an emergency, a practitioner must use a written prescription to submit a prescription described by Subsection (a). In an emergency, the practitioner may submit an oral or telephonically communicated prescription as authorized under Section 481.074(b-1). (d) A written prescription for a controlled substance other than a Schedule II controlled substance must include the information required under Section 481.074(k) and the signature of the prescribing practitioner. (e) A written prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance must be on an official prescription form and include the information required for an electronic prescription under Section 481.075(e), the signature of the practitioner, and the signature of the dispensing pharmacist after the prescription is filled. (f) The board by rule shall authorize a practitioner to determine whether it is necessary to obtain a particular patient identification number and to provide that number on the official prescription form. (g) On request of a practitioner, the board shall issue official prescription forms to the practitioner for a fee covering the actual cost of printing, processing, and mailing the forms. Before mailing or otherwise delivering prescription forms to a practitioner, the board shall print on each form the number of the form and any other information the board determines is necessary. (h) Each official prescription form must be sequentially numbered. (i) A person may not obtain an official prescription form unless the person is a practitioner as defined by Section 481.002(39)(A) or an institutional practitioner. (j) Not more than one Schedule II prescription may be recorded on an official prescription form. (k) Not later than the 30th day after the date a practitioner's Federal Drug Enforcement Administration number or license to practice has been denied, suspended, canceled, surrendered, or revoked, the practitioner shall return to the board all official prescription forms in the practitioner's possession that have not been used for prescriptions. (l) Each prescribing practitioner: (1) may use an official prescription form only to submit a prescription described by Subsection (a); (2) shall date or sign an official prescription form only on the date the prescription is issued; and (3) shall take reasonable precautionary measures to ensure that an official prescription form issued to the practitioner is not used by another person to violate this subchapter or a rule adopted under this subchapter. (m) In the case of an emergency oral or telephonically communicated prescription described by Section 481.074(b-1), the prescribing practitioner shall give the dispensing pharmacy the information needed to complete the official prescription form if the pharmacy is not required to use the electronic prescription record. (n) Each dispensing pharmacist receiving an oral or telephonically communicated prescription under Subsection (m) shall: (1) fill in on the official prescription form each item of information given orally to the dispensing pharmacy under Subsection (m) and the date the prescription is filled and fill in the dispensing pharmacist's signature; (2) retain with the records of the pharmacy for at least two years: (A) the official prescription form; and (B) the name or other patient identification required by Section 481.074(m) or (n); and (3) send all required information, including any information required to complete an official prescription form, to the board by electronic transfer or another form approved by the board not later than the next business day after the date the prescription is completely filled.” Legal citation: Tex. Health Safety Code § 481.0755. Pinned source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/texas/health_safety/chapter_481/section_481_0755/tex_hs_481_0755_f8307e8749a8/tex_health_safety_code_sec_481_0755_written_oral_and_telepho_0001/index.html; data via neochart.com, snapshot 2026-09-11.
Rulemaking authority
Statutory rulemaking authority is not a substitute for retrieving the current rule that governs a particular exception or reporting practice. Verbatim statutory text: “(a) The board shall by rule establish and revise as necessary a standardized database format that may be used by a pharmacy to transmit the information required by Sections 481.074(q) and 481.075(i) to the board electronically or to deliver the information on storage media, including disks, tapes, and cassettes. (b) The director shall consult with the Department of State Health Services, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, and the Texas Medical Board and by rule may: (1) remove a controlled substance listed in Schedules II through V from the official prescription program, if the director determines that the burden imposed by the program substantially outweighs the risk of diversion of the particular controlled substance; or (2) return a substance previously removed from Schedules II through V to the official prescription program, if the director determines that the risk of diversion substantially outweighs the burden imposed by the program on the particular controlled substance. (c) The board by rule may: (1) establish a procedure for the issuance of multiple prescriptions of a Schedule II controlled substance under Section 481.074(d-1); (2) remove from or return to the official prescription program any aspect of a practitioner's or pharmacist's hospital practice, including administering or dispensing; (3) waive or delay any requirement relating to the time or manner of reporting; (4) establish compatibility protocols for electronic data transfer hardware, software, or format, including any necessary modifications for participation in a database described by Section 481.076(j); (5) establish a procedure to control the release of information under Sections 481.074, 481.075, and 481.076; and (6) establish a minimum level of prescription activity below which a reporting activity may be modified or deleted. (d) The board by rule shall authorize a practitioner to determine whether it is necessary to obtain a particular patient identification number and to provide that number in the electronic prescription record. (e) In adopting a rule relating to the electronic transfer of information under this subchapter, the board shall consider the economic impact of the rule on practitioners and pharmacists and, to the extent permitted by law, act to minimize any negative economic impact, including the imposition of costs related to computer hardware or software or to the transfer of information. (f) The board may authorize a contract between the board and another agency of this state or a private vendor as necessary to ensure the effective operation of the official prescription program. (g) The board may adopt rules providing for a person authorized to access information under Section 481.076(a)(5) to be enrolled in electronic access to the information described by Section 481.076(a) at the time the person obtains or renews the person's applicable professional or occupational license or registration. (h) The board, in consultation with the department and the regulatory agencies listed in Section 481.076(a)(1), shall identify prescribing practices that may be potentially harmful and patient prescription patterns that may suggest drug diversion or drug abuse. The board shall determine the conduct that constitutes a potentially harmful prescribing pattern or practice and develop indicators for levels of prescriber or patient activity that suggest a potentially harmful prescribing pattern or practice may be occurring or drug diversion or drug abuse may be occurring. (i) The board, based on the indicators developed under Subsection (h), may send an electronic notification to a dispenser or prescriber if the information submitted under Section 481.074(q) or 481.075 indicates a potentially harmful prescribing pattern or practice may be occurring or drug diversion or drug abuse may be occurring. (j) The board by rule may develop guidelines identifying behavior suggesting a patient is obtaining controlled substances that indicate drug diversion or drug abuse is occurring. A pharmacist who observes behavior described by this subsection by a person who is to receive a controlled substance shall access the information under Section 481.076(a)(5) regarding the patient for whom the substance is to be dispensed. (k) The board by rule may develop guidelines identifying patterns that may indicate that a particular patient to whom a controlled substance is prescribed or dispensed is engaging in drug abuse or drug diversion. These guidelines may be based on the frequency of prescriptions issued to and filled by the patient, the types of controlled substances prescribed, and the number of prescribers who prescribe controlled substances to the patient. The board may, based on the guidelines developed under this subsection, send a prescriber or dispenser an electronic notification if there is reason to believe that a particular patient is engaging in drug abuse or drug diversion.” Legal citation: Tex. Health Safety Code § 481.0761. Pinned source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/texas/health_safety/chapter_481/section_481_0761/tex_hs_481_0761_0c86e475781a/tex_health_safety_code_sec_481_0761_rules_authority_to_contr_0001/index.html; data via neochart.com, snapshot 2026-09-11.
Work the pinned classroom record
A synthetic Schedule II packet identifies the prescriber and patient, substance, quantity, instructions, date, intended-use or diagnosis field subject to the statutory qualifications, validation, and dispensing record. A second packet alleges a temporary technological failure. It records the exact exception source and relevant rule, the facts supporting that claim, whether an emergency exists, and the applicable written-form or emergency-record requirements. Merely checking a box marked exception does not establish lawful prescribing, dispensing, or documentation. No drug, dose, treatment, or means of obtaining medication is recommended.
Limits and authored cross-references
Section 481.075 separately addresses hospital medication orders, pharmacist record retention and reporting, out-of-state prescriptions, and safe-disposal notices; the full statutory text controls each qualified branch. A rulemaking delegation is not the current rule itself. Licensure, federal controlled-substance law, prescribing authority, professional judgment, and the separate PMP duties require their own review. The electronic-prescription rule is not a blanket ban on all paper or emergency prescriptions, and an exception to electronic form is not prescribing permission.
Read the glanceable structure
The five-node map is an analytical review of source, format, exception, record, and authority. The separate PMP page prevents a format exception from being mistaken for a monitoring exception. The diagram contains 5 deliberately limited nodes. It is a navigation aid, not law or advice; the words and pinned sources below control the classroom explanation.
Jurisdiction: TX; as of 2026-09-11; not legal advice; Render structure, refuse interpretation, cite, abstain, and hand off.
RENDER STRUCTURE · REFUSE INTERPRETATION · CITE · ABSTAIN · HAND-OFF: render structure, refuse interpretation, cite provenance, abstain when unsupported, and hand off to human review.
Narrow summary
Read the general electronic rule with its express exceptions, preserve the exact record requirements, and keep format compliance, PMP access, prescribing authority, and clinical judgment separate.