James Garvey Cavanagh, M.D.; Revocation of Registration

On August 5, 1999, the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), issued an Order to Show Cause to James Garvey Cavanagh, M.D., of Hawthorne, Nevada, notifying him of an opportunity to show cause as to why DEA should not revoke his DEA Certificate of Registration AC9084485 pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(3), and deny any pending applications for renewal of such registration pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 823(f), for reason that he is not currently authorized to handle controlled substances in the State of Nevada. The order also notified Dr. Cavanagh that should no request for a hearing be filed within 30 days, his hearing right would be deemed waived.

DEA received a signed receipt indicating that the Order to Show Cause was received on August 21, 1999. No request for a hearing or any other reply was received by the DEA from Dr. Cavanagh or anyone purporting to represent him in this matter. Therefore the Deputy Administrator, finding that (1) 30 days have passed since the receipt of the Order to Show Cause, and (2) no request for a hearing having been received, concludes that Dr. Cavanagh is deemed to have waived his hearing right. After considering material from the investigative file in this matter, the Deputy Administrator now enters his final order without a hearing pursuant to 21 C.F.R. 1301.43(d) and (e) and 1301.46. This final order replaces and supersedes the final order issued on December 22, 1999, and published at 64 FR 73,586 (December 30, 1999).

The Deputy Administrator finds that Dr. Cavanagh currently possesses DEA Certificate of Registration AC9084485 issued to him in Nevada. The Deputy Administrator further finds that on March 18, 1999, the Board of Medical Examiners of the State of Nevada issued its Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order revoking Dr. Cavanagh's license to practice medicine in the State of Nevada.

The Deputy Administrator concludes that Dr. Cavanagh is not currently licensed to practice medicine in Nevada, and therefore, it is reasonable to infer that he is not currently authorized to handle controlled substances in that state. The DEA does not have the statutory authority under the Controlled Substances Act to issue or maintain a registration if the applicant or registrant is without state authority to handle controlled substances in the state in which he conducts his business. See 21 U.S.C. 802(21), 823(f) and 824(a)(3). This prerequisite has been consistently upheld. See Romeo J. Perez, M.D., 62 FR 16,193 (1997); Demetris A. Green, M.D., 61 FR 60,728 (1996); Dominick A. Ricci, M.D., 58 FR 51,104 (1993).

Here it is clear that Dr. Cavanagh is not currently authorized to handle controlled substances in the State of Nevada. As a result, Dr. Cavanagh is not entitled to a DEA registration in that state.

Accordingly, the Deputy Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, pursuant to the authority vested in him by 21 USC 823 and 824 and 28 C.F.R. 0.100(b) and 0.104, hereby orders that DEA Certificate of Registration AC9084485, previously issued to James Garvey Cavanagh, M.D., be, and it hereby is, revoked. The Deputy Administrator further orders that any pending applications for the renewal of such registration, be, and they hereby are, denied. This order is effective March 6, 2000, and is considered the final agency action for appellate purposes pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 877.