Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program v. United States Drug Enforcement Administration

998 F. Supp. 2d 957, 2014 WL 562938
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedFebruary 11, 2014
DocketCase No. 3:12-cv-02023-HA
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 998 F. Supp. 2d 957 (Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program v. United States Drug Enforcement Administration) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program v. United States Drug Enforcement Administration, 998 F. Supp. 2d 957, 2014 WL 562938 (D. Or. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

HAGGERTY, District Judge:

Plaintiff, the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) brought this action for declaratory relief against the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201 to determine its rights and obligations in complying with administrative subpoenas issued by the DEA. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Inc., John Does 1-4, and Dr. James Roe, M.D. (collectively “ACLU” or “intervenors”), intervened in this matter pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24(a) over the objections of the DEA in order to raise arguments regarding intervenors’ protected health information and Fourth Amendment rights. All parties have moved for summary judgment. For the following reasons, the ACLU’s Motion for Summary Judgment [27] is granted, the PDMP’s Motion for Summary Judgment [24] is denied as moot, and the DEA’s Cross Motions for Summary Judgment [40 and 42] are denied.

BACKGROUND

In 2009, the Oregon legislature created the PDMP, an electronic database maintained by the Oregon Health Authority to record information about prescriptions of drugs classified in Schedules II-IV under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).1 Or.Rev.Stat. (ORS) 431.962. The [960]*960PDMP became fully operational in 2011. A pharmacy that dispenses a Schedule II-IV prescription drag in Oregon must electronically report certain information regarding that prescription to the PDMP including: the quantity and type of drug dispensed, identifying information about the patient, and identifying information about the practitioner who prescribed the drug. ORS 431.964. The “primary purpose of the PDMP is to provide practitioners and pharmacists a tool to improve health care,” by providing health care providers with a means to identify and address problems related to the side effects of drugs, risks associated with the combined effects of prescription drugs with alcohol or other prescribed drugs, and overdose. PDMP Fact Sheet, Wessler Deck Ex. B. “Approximately 7,000,000 prescription records are uploaded to the system annually.” Id.

Depending on the drug prescribed, the information reported to PDMP can reveal a great deal of information regarding a particular patient including the condition treated by the prescribed drug. Schedule II-IV drugs can be used to treat a multitude of medical conditions including AIDS, psychiatric disorders, chronic pain, drug or alcohol addiction, and gender identity disorder.

Pursuant to Oregon statute, prescription monitoring information uploaded to the PDMP constitutes “protected health information” and is not subject to disclosure except in limited circumstances. ORS 431.966. A physician or pharmacist may access patient records in the PDMP only if they “certif[y] that the requested information is for the purpose of evaluating the need for or providing medical or pharmaceutical treatment for a patient to whom the practitioner or pharmacist anticipates providing, is providing or has provided care.” ORS 431.966(2)(a)(A), Relevant to this case, the PDMP may also disclose patient information “[pjursuant to a valid court order based on probable cause and issued at the request of a federal, state or local law enforcement agency engaged in an authorized drug-related investigation involving a person to whom the requested information pertains.” Id. at 431.966(2)(a)(C). The PDMP’s public website repeatedly references the privacy protections afforded prescription information and informs visitors that law enforcement officials may not obtain information “without a valid court order based on probable cause for an authorized drug-related investigation of an individual.” See, e.g., Oregon PDMP, Frequently Asked Questions, (January 31, 2014, 10:12 AM), http://www. orpdmp.com/faq.htmk

The CSA empowers the Attorney General, and executive agencies acting pursuant to his authority, with broad authority to issue administrative subpoenas to investigate drug crimes. 21 U.S.C. § 876. Pursuant to § 876(a) “the Attorney General may subpoena witnesses, compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and require the production of any records (including books, papers, documents, and other tangible things which constitute or contain evidence) which the Attorney General finds relevant or material to” an investigation regarding controlled substances. These administrative subpoenas are not self enforcing, and “[i]n the case of contumacy by or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, the Attorney General may invoke the aid of any court of the United States within the jurisdiction of which the investigation is carried on ... to compel compliance with the subpoena.” Id. at § 876(c). While there is no penalty [961]*961for failing to comply with a § 876 subpoena, failure to obey a court order enforcing the subpoena “may be punished by the court as contempt thereof.” Id.

The DEA has sought to utilize § 876 subpoenas to obtain prescription records from the PDMP. However, the PDMP has refused to comply with the administrative subpoenas on the basis that to do so would violate Oregon law. In at least one instance, the DEA obtained judicial enforcement of a § 876 subpoena against the PDMP for the production of all Schedule II-IV controlled substance prescriptions issued by a particular physician during the course of approximately seven months. United States v. Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, 3:12-mc-00298 (D.Or. Aug. 27, 2012). In that matter, the magistrate judge found ORS 431.966’s court order requirement to be preempted by § 876. However, the PDMP was not provided with an opportunity to contest the validity of the subject administrative subpoena. The State of Oregon complied with the court enforced subpoena in that matter, however, additional subpoenas have since been issued to the PDMP and the State of Oregon continues to maintain its position that it cannot comply with such subpoenas absent a court order.

On September 11, 2012, the DEA issued an administrative subpoena to the PDMP demanding the prescription records for an individual patient and on September 17, 2012, the DEA issued another administrative subpoena to the PDMP demanding a summary of all prescription drugs prescribed by two physicians. The PDMP objected to each subpoena on the basis that disclosure of the requested information would violate Oregon law. Shortly thereafter, the PDMP initiated this action for declaratory relief asking this court to determine whether the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution and § 876 preempt ORS 431.966.

The ACLU intervened in this matter pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
998 F. Supp. 2d 957, 2014 WL 562938, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oregon-prescription-drug-monitoring-program-v-united-states-drug-ord-2014.