Sept. 7, 2015 Update:
We are happy to report this very good update from the fine Mexican Lawyer, Lic. Spence McMullen, as he has contributed many superb legal insights to Yucalandia.com in the past. Lic. McMullen’s further research has found:
“We have verified with COFEPRIS (The Mexican equivalent of the FDA) that the CURP field on the doctors online prescription system is optional and is verifiable on their web page at
http://www.cofepris.gob.mx/Paginas/Recetarios%20y%20libros%20electr%C3%B3nicos.aspx and
downloading their user manuals for Pharmacies
http://www.cofepris.gob.mx/Documents/RecetariosLibros/ManualFarmacias.pdf
and
looking on page 13 where it says optional fields and one being the CURP number, best for people to print that page to be able to show Pharmacies that the CURP is not a mandatory field. ”
Sept. 5, 2015 Original Post – be sure to read the update (edited)
4 Mexican Doctors (2 in Guadalajara, 1 in Chapala, and 1 in Puerta Vallarta) are reporting that the Mexican government now requires that every prescription for controlled pain medications (like barbituates and opiates) include the patient’s CURP number. As has happened with Immigration & visas and Customs & importing vehicles, the Mex. Gob. now has the ability to tracks prescriptions with a new national computer data-base system.
This can present significant problems for Visitors in Mexico on Visitante / Tourist visas, because they have no CURP number. CURP numbers are mostly equivalent to having a US Social Security number – so temporary visitors to Mexico do not get CURPs with their visas. Residents, as Residente Temporal and Residente Permanente, do get CURPs as a part of their visa.
Specifically, medical tourists who come to Mexico for economical treatments may not be able to get controlled pain medications under this new policy.
Please read Lic. Spencer McMullen’s update on this at the top of this post. Lic. Spencer McMullen’s further research into this issue believes that the CURP reporting requirement is optional.
We will provide updates, if there are changes in the law/rules, or if an amparo is filed.
Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry
Read-on MacDuff . . .
Surviving Yucatan 
Are Doctors exempt from this new law, can they prescribed these drugs to patients who are just visiting but need these drugs, for one reason or another?I wonder?
I am not forgetting, i’m just not remembering
Hi,
We have verified with COFEPRIS (The Mexican equivalent of the FDA) that the CURP field on the doctors online prescription system is optional and is verifiable on their web page at http://www.cofepris.gob.mx/Paginas/Recetarios%20y%20libros%20electr%C3%B3nicos.aspx and downloading their user manuals for Pharmacies http://www.cofepris.gob.mx/Documents/RecetariosLibros/ManualFarmacias.pdf and looking on page 13 where it says optional fields and one being the CURP number, best for people to print that page to be able to show Pharmacies that the CURP is not a mandatory field.
Excellent Update – excellent research – excellent effort.
Thanks!
With your permission, I will also copy this information into the main post.
steve
With much major dental work looming, I say a big WHEW and THANKS!