[PW] Can a Drug Prescription Be Written for One Year? (also, can a year's supply of a prescription drug be obtained at one time?)

[Franco, Adrienne]

A patron wants to know if a drug prescription may be written for one year.  
First, am I correct in assuming that drug prescription laws and regulations would be determined at the state rather than the federal level?
Also, would this more likely be a regulation or a law?

I'm thinking it would be more likely to be covered by state regulations than state or federal laws.

I know that you can obtain a prescription which covers at least 6 months, based on my own personal experience.  However, I don't believe you can obtain all 6 months of the drug at one time, but that you would have to obtain monthly refills.  I suspect that a person can get a prescription covering a year (is that correct?).  Even if one could get a one-year prescription, I still don't think it's legal to obtain the entire year supply at one time.

Please share feedback as to the best sources to find the answer to this question.  I've used Lexis-Nexis Academic unsuccessfully (looking at law review articles, state and federal codes and federal regulations); I've also searched general databases such as proquest.  In addition to sources, what search strategies would you recommend?

Adrienne Franco
Reference & Instructional Services Librarian
Iona College Libraries
715 North Avenue
New Rochelle, NY  10801-1890
(914) 633-2348