Narcotics and Narcotic Precursors

1. Narcotics: The handling of narcotics is regulated by the Swedish Act (1992:860) on the Control of Narcotics, which states that narcotics may be possessed, without special permission, by the head of a scientific institution owned or supported by the state (§7). This means that research institutions have the right to handle narcotics for scientific purposes without requiring a permit.
2. Narcotic Drug Precursors: Narcotic drug precursors, i.e., chemical substances that can be used to manufacture narcotics, are regulated separately to prevent illegal production and distribution. Institutions that use narcotic precursors in their operations must ensure that their handling complies with applicable regulations and that the necessary permits are in place.

More information on narcotics and narcotic drug precursors can be found here.

Responsibility and Documentation

Every department that in their operations use narcotic drugs or narcotic precursors shall appoint a manager for pharmaceuticals that require a prescription including narcotic drugs. See form for delegation under “Documents”. 

The completed form shall be registered at the department and a copy shall be sent to inkopupphandling@ki.se

The manager is responsible for:

• Purchase and requisition of narcotic drugs and other pharmaceuticals that require prescription.
• That narcotic drugs are kept so as to eliminate the risk of unlawful uses (LVFS 2011:9, 28§).
• That narcotic drugs and pharmaceuticals that require prescriptions are handled in a safe manner.
• That all single events that lead to changes in the possession are noted in a paged logbook. It must be possible to control all changes made to the notes. For detailed instructions, see LVFS 2011:9, 16§-21§. The notes must be kept at least 5 years (LVFS 2011:9 26§).
• That there is documentation with information on which personnel has the authority to handle narcotics and which personal signature belongs to which person (LVFS 2011:9 26§).

The Medical Products Agency is the appointed authority of supervision and may control the notes/documentation of the management of narcotic drugs as well as ask for annual accounts of possession of narcotic drugs.

For more information contact your local manager for pharmaceuticals that require a prescription including narcotic drugs.