DRUG SCHEDULINGForensics/O’Connor

DEA Schedule

DEA Drug Schedule Site

Controlled Substances Act

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.

What did the Act do? 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.

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.

Controlled Substance "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.

Schedule I controlled substances

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.

Examples of Schedule 1 drugs

GHB Heroin MDMA LSD Acid Peyote

Schedule II controlled substances

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.

Examples of Schedule II Drugs Cocaine Methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta))&

Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin) Opium and opium tincture (laudanum), Methadone (used in treatment of heroin

addiction) Oxycodone

Schedule III controlled substances

(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.

Examples of Schedule III Drugs 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

Schedule IV controlled substances

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.

Examples of Schedule IV Drugs 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

Schedule V controlled substances

(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

Examples of Schedule V Drugs 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

Federal regulation of pseudoephedrine

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.

Why is Meth such a concern?

Faces of Meth