Forensics/Harrison
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DEA Drug Schedule Site
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The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was enacted
into law by the Congress of the United States as
Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse
Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The CSA is the
federal U.S. drug policy under which the
manufacture, importation, possession, use and
distribution of certain substances is regulated.
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The legislation created five Schedules
(classifications), with varying qualifications for
a substance to be included in each. Two federal
agencies, the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), determine which
substances are added to or removed from the
various schedules.
Basically: what is legal, what is not and
approved uses.
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Placing a drug or other substance in a certain
Schedule or removing it from a certain
Schedule is primarily based on specific laws
and Acts.
Every schedule otherwise requires a finding
specifying the "potential for abuse" before a
substance can be placed in that schedule.
The specific classification of any given drug or
other substance is usually a source of
controversy, as is the purpose and effectiveness
of the entire regulatory scheme.
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"The term 'controlled substance' means a drug
or other substance, or immediate precursor,
included in schedule I, II, III, IV, or V of part B
of this subchapter. The term does not include
distilled spirits, wine, malt beverages, or
tobacco.
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A) The drug or other substance has a high
potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no
currently accepted medical use in treatment in
the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of
the drug or other substance under medical
supervision."
No prescriptions may be written for Schedule I
substances, and such substances are subject to
production quotas by the DEA.
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GHB
Heroin
MDMA
LSD
Acid
Peyote
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A) The drug or other substance has a high
potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the United
States or a currently accepted medical use with
severe restrictions.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substances may
lead to severe psychological or physical
dependence."
Except when dispensed directly by a practitioner,
other than a pharmacist, to an ultimate user, no
controlled substance in schedule II, which is a
prescription drug as determined under the FDA.
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Cocaine
Methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta))&
Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin)
Opium and opium tincture (laudanum),
Methadone (used in treatment of heroin
addiction)
Oxycodone
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(A) The drug or other substance has a potential for
abuse less than the drugs or other substances in
schedules I and II.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the United
States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead
to moderate or low physical dependence or high
psychological dependence."
Except when dispensed directly by a practitioner,
other than a pharmacist, to an ultimate user, no
controlled substance in schedule III or IV, which is
a prescription drug as determined under the FDA.
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Anabolic steroids
Intermediate-acting barbiturates, such as talbutal
or butalbital
Buprenorphine
Dihydrocodeine single-ingredient drugs and the
pure drug itself.
Ketamine, a drug originally developed as a milder
substitute for PCP (mainly to use as a human
anesthetic) but has since become popular as a
veterinary and pediatric anesthetic;
Xyrem, a preparation of GHB used to treat
narcolepsy.
Hydrocodone/ codeine
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A) The drug or other substance has a low potential
for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances
in schedule III.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the United
States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead
to limited physical dependence or psychological
dependence relative to the drugs or other
substances in schedule III."
Control measures are similar to Schedule III.
Prescriptions for Schedule IV drugs may be refilled
up to five times within a six month period.
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Benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax),
chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam
(Klonopin), diazepam (Valium)
The benzodiazepine-like "Z-drugs": Zolpidem
(Ambien), Zopiclone, Eszopiclone, and Zaleplon;
Dextropropoxyphene (Doloxene) and
propoxyphene(sold in the U.S. as Darvon, and in
combination with acetaminophen as Darvocet);
Long-acting barbiturates such as phenobarbital;
Some partial agonist opioid analgesics, such as
pentazocine (Talwin);
Antidiarrhealdrugs, such as difenoxin
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(A) The drug or other substance a low potential for
abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in
schedule IV.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the United
States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead
to limited physical dependence or psychological
dependence relative to the drugs or other
substances in schedule IV."
No controlled substance in schedule V which is a
drug may be distributed or dispensed other than
for a medical purpose
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Cough suppressants containing small amounts
of codeine (e.g., promethazine+codeine);
Preparations containing small amounts of
opium or diphenoxylate (used to treat
diarrhea);
Pregabalin (Lyrica), an anticonvulsant and pain
modulator.
Pyrovalerone
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Due to pseudoephedrine being widely used in the manufacture of
methamphetamine Congress passed the Methamphetamine
Precursor Control Act which places restrictions on the sale of any
medicine containing pseudoephedrine.
That bill was then superseded by the Combat Methamphetamine
Epidemic Act of 2005, which was passed as an amendment to the
Patriot Act renewal and included wider and more comprehensive
restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine containing products.
This law requires customer signature of a "log-book" and
presentation of valid photo ID to purchase of pseudoephedrine
(PSE) containing products from all retailers.
The law restricts an individual to the retail sale of such products to
no more than three packages or no more than nine grams in a
single transaction (9 grams is equivalent to 300 standard 30 mg
tablets of Sudafed nasal decongestant). A violation of this statute
constitutes a misdemeanor.
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Faces of Meth