On May 5, 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA or Government) issued an Order to Show Cause (OSC) to Vida Janson, M.D., of Seattle, Washington (Respondent). OSC, at 1, 3. The OSC proposed the revocation of Respondent's DEA Certificate of Registration No. BJ6418380, alleging that Respondent is “without authority to prescribe, administer, dispense, or otherwise handle controlled substances in the State of Washington, the state in which [she is] registered with DEA.” Id. at 2 (citing 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(3)).

On June 3, 2026, Respondent filed a request for a hearing and filed a Supplemental Answer to the allegations in the OSC. Respondent also filed a Motion to Hold Proceeding in Abeyance seeking to defer the proceeding until ( printed page 67332) resolution of the underlying state authority matter. On August 7, 2026, the Government filed a Motion for Summary Disposition, which Respondent opposed. On August 27, 2026, Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek C. Julius (Chief ALJ) granted the Government's Motion for Summary Disposition and recommended the revocation of Respondent's registration, finding that because Respondent lacks state authority to handle controlled substances in Washington, the state in which she is registered with DEA, “there is no other fact of consequence for this tribunal to decide in order to determine whether or not she is entitled to maintain her DEA registration.” Order Granting the Government's Motion for Summary Disposition, and Recommended Rulings, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Decision of the Administrative Law Judge (RD), at 5. Respondent did not file exceptions to the RD.

Having reviewed the entire record, the Agency adopts and hereby incorporates by reference the entirety of the ALJ's rulings, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommended sanction as found in the RD and summarizes and expands upon portions thereof herein.

Findings of Fact

Effective January 23, 2026, the Washington State Department of Health issued a Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Final Order suspending Respondent from the practice of medicine in the State of Washington as a result of Respondent committing unprofessional conduct. OSC, at 2.^[1] According to Washington online records, of which the Agency takes official notice, Respondent's Washington medical license is suspended.^[2] Washington State Department of Health Provider Credential Search, wahelms.my.site.com/​s/​license-search (last visited date of signature of this Order). Accordingly, the Agency finds that Respondent does not have the state authority to handle controlled substances in Washington, the state in which she is registered with DEA.^[3]

Discussion

Pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(3), the Attorney General is authorized to suspend or revoke a registration issued under section 823 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) “upon a finding that the registrant . . . has had his State license or registration suspended . . . [or] revoked . . . by competent State authority and is no longer authorized by State law to engage in the . . . dispensing of controlled substances.” With respect to a practitioner, DEA has also long held that the possession of authority to dispense controlled substances under the laws of the state in which a practitioner engages in professional practice is a fundamental condition for obtaining and maintaining a practitioner's registration. Gonzales v. Oregon, 546 U.S. 243, 270 (2006) (“The Attorney General can register a physician to dispense controlled substances `if the applicant is authorized to dispense . . . controlled substances under the laws of the State in which he practices.' . . . The very definition of a `practitioner' eligible to prescribe includes physicians `licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted, by the United States or the jurisdiction in which he practices' to dispense controlled substances. § 802(21).”). The Agency has applied these principles consistently. See, e.g.,James L. Hooper, M.D., 76 FR 71371, 71372 (2011), pet. for rev. denied, 481 F. App'x 826 (4th Cir. 2012); Frederick Marsh Blanton, M.D., 43 FR 27616, 27617 (1978); Scott Hansen, A.P.R.N.,90 FR 27338 (2025).^[4]

According to Washington statute, “[a] practitioner may dispense or deliver a controlled substance to or for an individual or animal only for medical treatment or authorized research in the ordinary course of that practitioner's profession.” Wash. Rev. Code §  69.50.308(j) (2025). Further, a “prescription” means “an order for controlled substances issued by a practitioner duly authorized by law or rule in the state of Washington to prescribe controlled substances within the scope of his or her professional practice for a legitimate medical purpose.” Id. at §  69.50.101(41). Finally, a “practitioner” as defined by Washington statute includes “[a] physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery.” Id. at §  69.50.101(40)(c).

Here, the undisputed evidence in the record is that Registrant currently lacks authority to practice medicine in Washington. As already discussed, an individual must be a licensed practitioner to dispense or prescribe a controlled substance in Washington. Thus, because Registrant lacks authority to practice medicine in Washington and, therefore, is not authorized to handle controlled substances in Washington, Registrant is not eligible to maintain a DEA registration in Washington. RD, at 7. Accordingly, the Agency will order that Registrant's DEA registration be revoked.

Order

Pursuant to 28 CFR 0.100(b) and the authority vested in me by 21 U.S.C. 824(a), I hereby revoke DEA Certificate of Registration No. BJ6418380 issued to Vida Janson, M.D. Further, pursuant to 28 CFR 0.100(b) and the authority vested in me by 21 U.S.C. 823(g)(1), I hereby deny any pending applications of Vida Janson, M.D., to renew or modify these registrations, as well as any other pending application of Vida Janson, M.D., for additional registration in Washington. This Order is effective November 25, 2026.

Signing Authority

This document of the Drug Enforcement Administration was signed on October 19, 2026, by DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole. That document with the original signature and date is maintained by DEA. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DEA Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to ( printed page 67333) sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as an official document of DEA. This administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the Federal Register .