Drug Enforcement Agency Controlled Substance Classifications
Drug Enforcement Agency Controlled Substance Classifications
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), established in 1973, is a law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice and is tasked with the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA established the Drug Schedules and the initial listing of drugs on each schedule. After the initial list was established by statute, the DEA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are the two federal agencies that determine which substances remain on the schedules and which schedule each drug is assigned, although new federal legislation can also specify whether a substance is scheduled and onto which schedule it should be placed.
Under the CSA, controlled substances were divided into five schedules.
Schedule I includes drugs or substances with a high potential for abuse; has no acceptable medical use in the U.S.; and has no accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision.
Schedule II includes drugs or substances which have a high potential for abuse; the substance has a currently accepted medical use, but with severe restrictions; and for which abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Schedule III includes substances or drugs that have a lesser potential for abuse than Schedule I or II substances and has a currently accepted medical use in the U.S.; and for which abuse of the drug may lead to low to moderate psychological or physical dependence.
Schedule IV includes drugs or substances that have a low potential for abuse; have an accepted medical use in the U.S.; and abuse may lead to limited psychological or physical dependence relative to Schedule III.
Schedule V includes drugs or substances that have the lowest potential for abuse; have an accepted medical use in the U.S.; and abuse may lead to limited psychological or physical dependence relative to Schedule IV.
What is the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)?
The CSA is a federal statute that was implemented in 1970 and consolidated several other drug control statutes, which had developed over several years, into a single act. Included in the Act are Subchapter I, which included the initial drug classifications and schedules, and the initial listing of which substances went on each schedule. It also includes procedures for scheduling or de-scheduling substances or changing schedule placement, and prison terms and fines for violations of the Act. Subchapter II sets forth laws for exportation and importation of controlled substances and specifies prison terms and fines violations of the subchapter.
The CSA has led to the federal control of the manufacture and distribution of substances included in the schedules. Regulations and standards have been established for such substances which manufacturers and distributors are required to follow. Manufacturers and distributors are required to be registered with the DEA to handle controlled substances. All registered entities are required to keep accurate inventories and records of transactions involving controlled substances. The Act also specifies security measures to be employed for storage of controlled substances.
A complete alphabetic list of controlled substances is included in the Learn More section below.
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Learn More:
https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf
