What is a Controlled Substance?

In order to protect the public, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act which established a system to “schedule” drugs. There are five schedules which the DEA and the FDA use to categorize drugs. Drugs that have the greatest potential for harm and addiction are placed in higher schedules.

In scheduling a drug, the government takes a number of factors into account: the potential for abuse, the scientific evidence of its effects on the body and brain, the drug's risk to the public, and whether a substance or drug can be transformed into another drug with high abuse potential.

Drugs that have high potential for abuse, and which do not have any acceptable medical use are placed in Schedule I. Within Schedules II-V are drugs that have medical uses but can still be dangerous. The lower the schedule, the less addictive and dangerous a drug is. A doctor's prescription is needed for all controlled substances, and the higher the schedule, the more difficult it is to obtain refills.

However, it's important to remember that even substance which are not “controlled” such as over-the-counter medications and inhalants can be abused. And it's important to note that DEA and the FDA are continually re-evaluating a drug's schedule. If a drug which was once thought “safe” is creating significant public health problems, the government has a process to quickly respond and tighten controls. Congress can also re-schedule a drug through legislation and has done so in several cases.

 

Provided by the Drug Enforcement Agency