Registration and Licensing

Every person who engages in research with controlled substances must acquire a State of Michigan controlled substance research license and a DEA researcher registration to receive, distribute, store, and administer controlled substances for research purposes at the University.  The State of Michigan license and DEA registration must be active for the location (building and room number) where controlled substances are delivered, stored, and administered.

  • Practitioners can use their license/registration (non-research) for ordering, storing and administering controlled substances at their laboratory for research purposes provided the following conditions are met:

    • The address on both the license (State of Michigan) and the registration (DEA) are the same as the laboratory address where controlled substances are stored and administered.

    • The research is within the scope of the State of Michigan license and the DEA registration in regards to coincidental activities.

  • After initial approval the State of Michigan license is valid for one year. Subsequent renewals are valid for two years. The DEA registration must be renewed annually.

  • Each principal investigator who stores, receives, or administers controlled substances at his or her laboratory location must be licensed with the State of Michigan and registered with the DEA at that location. A separate license is required for each principal place of business.

  • The registrant/licensee may grant his or her employees access to controlled substances by making them authorized agents.  If authorized agents are to administer controlled substances, it must be done in the presence of the registrant/licensee. 

  • Inspections or notification of inspections by DEA Diversion Investigators, State of Michigan Bureau of Health Professions Investigators, or law enforcement agencies must be reported to Environmental Health and Safety (355-0153).

  • The State of Michigan license should be submitted first as approval by the state is a requirement for federal approval.

Federal Drug Enforcement Administration Registration

Every person that engages in research with controlled substances must be registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA.  There are different activities that require different registration types.  Further, one registration type might not cover two different activities, such as research with controlled substances and dispensing of controlled substances. 

The DEA application for registration can be found online at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/index.html.  DEA form #225 should be completed to obtain a researcher registration.

The State of Michigan License

In addition to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency paperwork, applicants in the State of Michigan must submit an online application for a State of Michigan Controlled Substance Research License.  The online application system can be found at www.michigan.gov/miplus. A license is required for every person who manufactures, distributes, prescribes, dispenses or conducts research with controlled substances. 

Controlled Substances