(a) The Secretary shall cooperate with federal and other state agencies in discharging the Secretary’s responsibilities concerning traffic in controlled substances and in suppressing the abuse of controlled substances. To this end, the Secretary may:

(1) Arrange for the exchange of information among governmental officials concerning the use and abuse of controlled substances;

(2) Coordinate and cooperate in training programs concerning controlled substance law enforcement at local and state levels;

(3) Cooperate with the bureau by establishing a centralized unit to accept, catalogue, file and collect statistics, including records of drug dependent persons and other controlled substance law offenders within the State, and make the information available for federal, state and local law-enforcement purposes. The Secretary, in cooperation with the bureau, shall not furnish the name or identity of a patient or research subject whose identity could not be obtained under subsection (c) of this section; and

(4) Conduct programs of eradication aimed at destroying wild or illicit growth of plant species from which controlled substances may be extracted.

(b) Results, information and evidence received from the Bureau relating to the regulatory functions of this chapter, including results of inspections conducted by it, may be relied and acted upon by the Secretary in the exercise of the Secretary’s regulatory functions under this chapter.

(c) A practitioner engaged in medical practice or research is not required or compelled to furnish the name or identity of a patient or research subject to the Secretary nor may the practitioner be compelled in any state or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative or other proceedings to furnish the name or identity of an individual that the practitioner is obligated to keep confidential.

16 Del. C. 1953, § 4768; 58 Del. Laws, c. 424, § 1; 62 Del. Laws, c. 250, § 4; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1.