What are the compliance requirements for disposal and destruction of controlled substances?

Disposal requirements for controlled substances are regulated by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and laid out in Title 21 Part 1317 of the US Code of Federal Regulations. This law provides explicit provisions depending on whether the disposer is a DEA registrant or non-registrant as well as destruction requirements and procedures for transferring controlled substances. While there is no requirement for a specific method of destruction, the law clarifies that all controlled substances must be rendered non-retrievable in order to prevent diversion of substances to illicit activity