Louisiana · MD and DO
Louisiana: Prescribing controlled dangerous substances (CDS)
MD: 3 hours, once · DO: 3 hours, once.
Last verified against the sources below. Requirements change — confirm with your Board before you rely on this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
MD (medical doctor)
- Hours
- 3 hours
- How often
- Once
- Who
- Only some physicians — see the rule note
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every year; licenses expire on the first day of your birth month, every year.
- Providers
- Only courses from providers named in the Board rule count.
- Board
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
- The rule
- A 2017 state law (as the Board describes it) and LAC 46:XLV §4005: every prescriber with a Louisiana CDS license completes, once, 3 hours of Board-approved CME on drug diversion, best practices in prescribing CDS, treatment of addiction and (for physicians) chronic pain, before the first license renewal. The Board offers a free 3-hour course that reports to CE Broker; another sponsor's Category 1 program is "deemed approved" only if the Board or its designee finds it adequately covers all required areas and the sponsor can submit proof of completion electronically to the Board (LAC 46:XLV §4007.B.1); you must ask the sponsor to report your completion electronically (§4007.D.1), and "CME which is not approved by the board shall not satisfy the CME requirement." It counts toward the annual hours. A prescriber who did not prescribe, administer or dispense any CDS in the year before renewal can request an exemption (residents cannot).
DO (osteopathic physician)
- Hours
- 3 hours
- How often
- Once
- Who
- Only some physicians — see the rule note
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every year; licenses expire on the first day of your birth month, every year.
- Providers
- Only courses from providers named in the Board rule count.
- Board
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
- The rule
- A 2017 state law (as the Board describes it) and LAC 46:XLV §4005: every prescriber with a Louisiana CDS license completes, once, 3 hours of Board-approved CME on drug diversion, best practices in prescribing CDS, treatment of addiction and (for physicians) chronic pain, before the first license renewal. The Board offers a free 3-hour course that reports to CE Broker; another sponsor's Category 1 program is "deemed approved" only if the Board or its designee finds it adequately covers all required areas and the sponsor can submit proof of completion electronically to the Board (LAC 46:XLV §4007.B.1); you must ask the sponsor to report your completion electronically (§4007.D.1), and "CME which is not approved by the board shall not satisfy the CME requirement." It counts toward the annual hours. A prescriber who did not prescribe, administer or dispense any CDS in the year before renewal can request an exemption (residents cannot).
What to do next
Other states that require it
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, South Carolina and 6 more. Every state that requires it
Sources
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners — Renewals (CE Broker required)
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners — Board Orientations & Online Courses (first-renewal requirements)
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners — Board Approved CME Courses for CDS Requirements
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners — Annual Continuing Education Requirements by Practitioner Group (July 20, 2026, PDF)
- LAC 46:XLV Chapter 3 — Physicians, incl. §§415, 417 (renewal) and §§433–449 (CME), August 2025 compilation (PDF)
- LAC 46:XLV Chapter 40 — CME on Controlled Dangerous Substances, §§4001–4005 (PDF)
- Act 744 of 2024 (HB 869) — R.S. 37:1270(A)(8), sickle cell disease CE for emergency medicine (enrolled)
- LSBME notice of intent, April 2026 — proposed CME rule changes (Laws and Rules course, medical review panel credit), redline
- Act 463 of 2025 (SB 14), enrolled — nutrition and metabolic health CE (R.S. 37:1270(A)(8)(b))
MD facts last verified October 8, 2026 · DO facts last verified October 8, 2026.