Whether its medicines being used to treat disease, or narcotics used as pain killers; storing controlled substances safely at a medical facility requires proper safekeeping protocols. It is incumbent for medical business owners to ensure that medicines and narcotics inventories with a higher value be stored away properly in a safe or vault. Narcotics have a higher illicit value for the most part than most medicines do, so they require higher security measures for storage. Federal regulations in Canada pertaining to the laws that require the proper storage of controlled substances are listed on the government’s website, and can be found here.
In Canada the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) defines the minimum-security levels required to secure controlled substances and drugs containing cannabis.
As a medical business owner, a few things are to be considered first before selecting the corresponding medicine vault. At a federal level, the main determining factors are region and inventory value. Laboratories typically have a smaller and less expensive inventory values than medical business owners do.
At a federal level in Canada, the first determining factor to owning a medicine vault is region. Region I includes the four major cities of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton, plus any location within a 100-kilometre radius. Region I is required to inflict the strictest security levels in order to withhold controlled substances in a vault, since those metropoles are subject to more illicit activity such as burglary and pilferage. Hamilton, Kitchener and Victoria are all in Region I as well, as they fall within 100km of the metropoles.
Region II includes Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Winnipeg, Calgary and Windsor, plus any location within a 50 kilometres radius. Region III is anywhere else in Canada that does not fall within Regions I and II.
The next determinant to the security levels required for a medical vault as dictated by the CDSA factors the total value of the medicine and narcotic and drugs containing cannabis inventory lot. The narcotics and medicines are ranked and organized by their illicit value. The vault security levels are contingent on the inventory value, but Toronto medical business owners need a higher security level vault, then say a vault with the same value of licensed holdings in London.
The security levels of the safes are determined by the materials they are made out of. Safes with the highest levels of security require the most durable materials that are seemingly impenetrable. Acceptable materials that the safe can be built out of is listed too.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration has similar practices intact. The DEA infringes security levels that become more stringent as the inventory values increase – again, ensuring that the larger cities and regions exercise the highest levels of vault security for the storage of controlled substances. The Code of Federal Regulations has a full list of specifications and requirements that are mandated for guarding medicines and narcotics in vaults. Some of the implications state the safe must be built after 1971, and have a lock and alarm system employed, and be higher than 8 feet tall.
It is highly advisable to always be sure that you are in compliance with the federal, provincial/territorial/ and municipal requirements. Enlist a licensed field professional to verify all security codes for medical vaults are up to par.
INKAS® Safes is a proud proprietor in safe vaults and a leader in servicing the medical industry. As a direct manufacturer, INKAS® Safes can customize the medical safe to fit any particular office, laboratory or retail need. Our INKAS® Safes concierge directs and assists you in the selection of the best medicine vault for your medical facility. The design team will consult with you in the production of your safe vault. INKAS® Safes boasts craftsmanship that is equipped only with the toughest quality of materials, and leads with innovative technologies to produce the finest medical safes in the Western Hemisphere.