Opioid and controlled-substance prescribing CME requirements by state
Reviewed by CME Psychiatry Center editorsLast reviewed against state medical-board rulesHow we verify
Most states now require some opioid, pain-management or controlled-substance prescribing education as a condition of renewal, and the federal DEA MATE Act separately requires a one-time 8 hours on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders before a DEA registration is issued or renewed. For a psychiatrist the practical question is which single activity satisfies the most rules at once. The table lists the state mandate; open a state for the psychiatrist-specific reading.
Coverage: 9 of 51 state pages have been migrated to structured rules so far; states not yet migrated do not appear here even if they have a mandate. See the full state table.
| State | Requirement | Hours | How often | Applies to | Counts toward total | Rule | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Pain management and treatment of terminally ill and dying patients (incl. Schedule II addiction risks if licensed on/after 1/1/2019) | 12 | once | all physicians except pathologists and radiologists; waivable for physicians without direct patient care or residing outside California | Yes | BPC §2190.5; 16 CCR §1337 | |
| Florida | Prescribing controlled substances (opioids, alternatives, naloxone; sickle-cell pain management from July 1, 2026) | 2 | every renewal | physicians registered with the DEA | Yes | Fla. Stat. 456.0301; Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B8-13.005 | |
| Illinois | Safe opioid prescribing practices | 1 | every Controlled Substance Registration renewal (no first-renewal exemption); 1 hour is the current rule for renewals on/after Jan 1, 2025 (older IDFPR forms citing 3 hours are out of date) | prescribers holding an Illinois Controlled Substance Registration | Yes | 720 ILCS 570/315.5 (as amended by P.A. 103-531, eff. 1-1-25) | |
| New Jersey | Prescription opioid drugs (responsible prescribing, alternatives, abuse and addiction) | 1 | every renewal | All licensees | Yes | N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(d) | |
| New York | Pain management, palliative care and addiction (8 required content areas incl. state and federal prescribing rules, screening for addiction, end-of-life care) | 3 | once within each 3-year period | licensed prescribers with a DEA registration number (incl. residents prescribing under a facility DEA number) | No | Public Health Law § 3309-a(3) | |
| North Carolina | Controlled-substance prescribing practices (must cover prescribing practices and chronic pain management; abuse/misuse recognition and non-opioid options also qualify) | 3 | every renewal | physicians who prescribe any controlled substance (excludes residency training licensees) | Yes | 21 NCAC 32R .0101(b) | |
| Ohio | Pain medicine, including the potential for addiction | 20 | every renewal | physician owners, operators, and physicians providing care at pain management clinics | Yes | OAC 4731-29-01 | |
| Pennsylvania | Pain management, identification of addiction, or opioid prescribing/dispensing (Act 124) | 2 | every renewal | physicians who hold a DEA registration or prescribe controlled substances under another entity's DEA number | Yes | Act 124 of 2016 (ABC-MAP Act); 49 Pa. Code § 16.19(b)(1) | |
| Texas | Pain management and opioid prescribing | 2 | first two renewals (first within 1 year of licensure), then every 8 years | physicians in direct patient care | Yes | Tex. Occ. Code §156.055 |
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