Controlled Substances act

Schedule I

  • The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.

  • The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical treatment use in the U.S.

  • It has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

Examples:

  • Heroin (diacetylmorphine)

  • LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

  • Marijuana (cannabis, THC)

  • Mescaline (Peyote)

  • MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or “ecstasy”)

  • GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) - except formulations in an FDA-approved drug product sodium oxybate (Xyrem) are Schedule III

  • Ecstasy (MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

  • Psilocybin

  • Synthetic marijuana and analogs (Spice, K2)

  • Methaqualone (Quaalude)

  • Khat (Cathinone)

  • Bath Salts (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone or MDPV)

Schedule II

  • The drug or other substances have a high potential for abuse

  • The drug or other substances have currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, or currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions

  • Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence

Examples:

  • Amphetamine drugs including Adderall, Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse): treatment of ADHD, narcolepsy, severe obesity (limited use, dextroamphetamine only), binge eating disorder (lisdexamfetamine only). Originally placed in Schedule III, but moved to Schedule II in 1971.

  • Barbiturates (short-acting), such as pentobarbital

  • Cocaine: used as a topical anesthetic and to stop severe epistaxis

  • Codeine (pure) and any drug for non-parenteral administration containing the equivalent of more than 90 mg of codeine per dosage unit;

  • Diphenoxylate (pure)

  • Fentanyl and most other strong pure opioid agonists, i.e. levorphanol

  • Hydrocodone in any formulation as of October 2014 (Examples include Vicodin, Norco, Tussionex). Prior to October 2014, formulations containing hydrocodone and over-the-counter analgesics such as Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen were Schedule III.

  • Hydromorphone (semi-synthetic opioid; active ingredient in Dilaudid, Palladone)

  • Methadone: treatment of heroin addiction, extreme chronic pain

  • Methamphetamine: treatment of ADHD (rare), severe obesity (limited use)

  • Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta), Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin): treatment of ADHD, narcolepsy

  • Morphine

  • Nabilone (Cesamet) – A synthetic cannabinoid. An analogue to dronabinol (Marinol) which is a Schedule III drug.

  • Opium tincture (Laudanum): a potent antidiarrheal

  • Oxycodone (semi-synthetic opioid; active ingredient in Percocet, OxyContin, and Percodan)

  • Oxymorphone (semi-synthetic opioid; active ingredient in Opana)

  • Nembutal (Pentobarbital) – barbiturate medication originally developed for narcolepsy; primarily used today for physician assisted suicide and euthanasia of animals.

  • Pethidine (USAN: Meperidine; Demerol)

  • Phencyclidine (PCP)

  • Secobarbital (Seconal)

  • Tapentadol (Nucynta) – A drug with mixed opioid agonist and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor activity.

Schedule III

  • The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II.

  • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

  • Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

Examples:

  • Ketamine, a drug originally developed as a safer, shorter-acting replacement for PCP (mainly for use as a human anesthetic) but has since become popular as a veterinary and pediatric anesthetic;

  • Anabolic steroids (including prohormones such as androstenedione); the specific end molecule testosterone in many of its forms (Androderm, AndroGel, Testosterone Cypionate, and Testosterone Enanthate) are labeled as Schedule III while low-dose testosterone when compounded with estrogen derivatives have been exempted (from scheduling) by the FDA

  • Intermediate-acting barbiturates, such as talbutal or butalbital

  • Buprenorphine (semi-synthetic opioid; active in Suboxone, Subutex)

  • Dihydrocodeine when compounded with other substances, to a certain dosage and concentration.

  • Xyrem, a preparation of GHB used to treat narcolepsy. Xyrem is in Schedule III but with a restricted distribution system. All other forms of GHB are in Schedule I.

  • Marinol, synthetically prepared tetrahydrocannabinol (officially referred to by its INN, dronabinol) used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, as well as appetite losscaused by AIDS.

  • Benzphetamine HCl (Didrex), a stimulant designed for use as an anorexiant.

  • Ergine (lysergic acid amide), listed as a sedative but considered by some to be psychedelic.[52][53] An inefficient precursor to its N,N-diethyl analogue, LSD, ergine occurs naturally in the seeds of the common garden flowers Turbina corymbosa, Ipomoea tricolor, and Argyreia nervosa.

Schedule IV

  • The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV

  • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States

  • 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

Examples

  • Benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), and Lorazepam (Ativan), as well as:

    • temazepam (Restoril) (note that some states require specially coded prescriptions for temazepam)

    • flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) (note that flunitrazepam is not used medically in the United States)

    • oxazepam (Serax, Serepax, Seresta, Alepam, Opamox, Oxamin)

  • The benzodiazepine-like Z-drugs: zolpidem (Ambien), zopiclone (Imovane), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zaleplon (Sonata) (zopiclone is not commercially available in the U.S.)

  • Chloral hydrate, a sedative-hypnotic

  • Long-acting barbiturates such as phenobarbital

  • Some partial agonist opioid analgesics, such as pentazocine (Talwin)

Schedule V

  • The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV

  • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States

  • 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

Examples:

  • Promethazine & Codeine

  • Canabidiol