Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 3 U.K. Requirements for the placing on the market of scheduled substances

1. Operators wishing to place on the market scheduled substances of categories 1 and 2 of Annex I shall be required to appoint an officer responsible for the trade in scheduled substances, to notify the competent authorities of the name and contact details of that officer and to notify them immediately of any subsequent modification of this information. The officer shall ensure that the trade in scheduled substances conducted by the operator takes place in compliance with this Regulation. The officer shall be empowered to represent the operator and to take the decisions necessary for performing the tasks specified above.

2. Operators shall be required to obtain a licence from the competent authorities before they may possess or place on the market scheduled substances of category 1 of Annex I. Special licences may be granted by the competent authorities to pharmacies, dispensaries of veterinary medicine, certain types of public authorities or armed forces. Such special licences shall only be valid for the use of precursors within the scope of the official duties of the operators concerned.

3. Any operator holding a licence referred to in paragraph 2 shall supply scheduled substances of category 1 of Annex I only to natural or legal persons who hold such a licence and have signed a customer declaration as provided for in Article 4(1).

4. When considering whether to grant a licence, the competent authorities shall take into account in particular the competence and integrity of the applicant. The licence is to be refused if there are reasonable grounds for doubting the suitability and reliability of the applicant or of the officer responsible for the trade in scheduled substances. The licence may be suspended or revoked by the competent authorities whenever there are reasonable grounds for believing that the holder is no longer a fit and proper person to hold a licence, or that the conditions under which the licence was granted are no longer fulfilled.

5. Without prejudice to Article 14, the competent authorities may either limit the validity of the licence to a period not exceeding three years or may oblige the operators to demonstrate at intervals not exceeding three years that the conditions under which the licence was granted are still fulfilled. The licence shall mention the operation or operations for which it is valid, as well as the substances concerned. Special licences within the meaning of paragraph 2 shall be granted in principle for an unlimited duration but may be suspended or revoked by the competent authorities under the conditions of paragraph 4, third sentence.

6. Without prejudice to Article 6, operators engaged in the placing on the market of scheduled substances of category 2 of Annex I shall be required to register and update with the competent authorities without delay the addresses of the premises at which they manufacture or from which they trade in these substances, before placing them on the market. Pharmacies, dispensaries of veterinary medicine, certain types of public authorities or the armed forces may be made subject to a special registration. Such registrations shall be considered valid only for the use of precursors within the scope of the official duties of the operators concerned.

7. The competent authorities may require operators to pay a fee for the application for a licence or a registration. Such fees shall be levied in a non-discriminatory way and shall not exceed the cost of processing the application.