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Whether Physician-Assisted Suicide Serves a “Legitimate Medical Purpose” Under DEA Regulations

Date of Issuance:
Headnotes

A physician’s assisting in a patient’s suicide, even in a manner permitted by state law, is not a “legitimate medical purpose” within the meaning of a Drug Enforcement Agency regulation, and accordingly dispensing controlled substances for this purpose violates the Controlled Substances Act, which the DEA regulation implements.

Updated July 9, 2014