How are drugs classified, based on the 5 “schedules” of the Controlled Substances Act?
The Controlled Substances Act mandates that certain substances be controlled (as defined by 5 “schedules”) because of their potential for abuse, leading to possible physical or psychological dependence. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances Act. The most stringent controls are placed on Schedule I substances, which, in the United States, have no generally accepted medical use for treatment and are not available by prescription. Controls are incrementally less stringent for Schedules II through V substances. The controls described below pertain to nonelectronic prescribing. There are many other controls, not described below, such as the regulation of the import and export of controlled substances. Schedule I [Examples: heroin; marijuana; mescaline; methcathinone] (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 Stat
