Scheduled Drug - list and definition
Scheduled Drug - In the United States a DRUG that has strict prescribing and availability criteria because of its potential for ADDICTION or abuse, as the federal Uniform Controlled Substance Act (UCSA) of 1970 specifies and regulates. Some substances are scheduled drugs (also called controlled substances) because they have no medicinal or therapeutic value yet may cause considerable harm or death when used, such as HEROIN and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). The UCSA establishes five levels of control for such drugs, indicated by a Roman numeral on the drug package’s label.
Each level of control has specific requirements for ordering, storing, prescribing, dispensing, and destroying the scheduled drugs within its definition; in general the distribution system is a closed one in that every individual who handles a scheduled drug must account for that drug’s passage through his or her contact. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) oversees compliance with UCSA regulations. Though state provider licensing regulations designate prescribing authority for scheduled drugs, a provider must have a DEA license to prescribe scheduled drugs.
Schedule I drugs are available only to researchers. Schedule II drugs require a written prescription for each quantity of drug received. Schedule III and schedule IV drugs require a written or oral prescription and are refillable from the original prescription up to five times within six months if the provider authorizes refills. Under federal law schedule V drugs do not require a prescription though states may otherwise regulate their availability.
| Scheduled Drugs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Common Drugs | Definition |
| schedule I | HEROIN, LSD, mescaline, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methaqualone, racemoramide, tilidine, trimeperidine | no accepted medical use high risk for abuse unsafe for use |
| schedule II | amobarbital, AMPHETAMINE, COCAINE, codeine, glutethimide, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, levorphanol, meperidine, METHADONE, methylphenidate, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, pentobarbital | limited medical use high risk for abuse high risk for physical or psychological dependence |
| schedule III | amobarbital, amphetamine, anabolic steroids, BUPRENORPHINE, chlorphentermine, codeine compounds, GLUTETHIMIDE, hydrocodone compounds, phenmetrazine | accepted medical use moderate risk for abuse moderate risk for physical or psychological dependence |
| schedule IV | BENZODIAZEPINES, CHLORAL HYDRATE, meprobamate, paraldehyde, pemoline, pentazocine, phenobarbital, propoxyphene compounds, zolpidem | accepted medical use low risk for abuse low risk for physical or psychological dependence |
| schedule V | codeine COUGH preparations, dihydrocodeine, diphenoxylate | accepted medical use negligible risk for abuse negligible risk for physical dependence, low risk for psychological dependence |
See also ILLICIT DRUG USE; LEGEND DRUG; OVER-THECOUNTER (OTC) DRUGS; PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE.