• Schedule I — High abuse potential, significant risks, and no federally recognized medical use. Substances in Schedule I include marijuana, LSD, Spice (synthetic cannabis) and Ecstasy (MDMA, short for methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
• Schedule II — High abuse, dependence and addiction potential, along with common severe side effects. Schedule II includes opiates and, including the narcotic painkillers fentanyl (e.g., Duragesic from Janssen) and OxyContin (extended-release oxycodone from Purdue Pharma); cocaine; and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications like Adderall (amphetamine from Shire) and Ritalin (methylphenidate from Novartis).
• Schedule III — Moderate likelihood for physical addiction but known high risks to health and potential for mental dependence. Schedule III includes some anabolic steroids, ketamine and low-dose combination narcotic analgesics such as Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone from Abbott Laboratories). • Schedule IV — Limited abuse, dependence or addiction potential.
Schedule IV includes sedatives such Xanax (alprazolam from Pfizer) and Valium (diazepam from Roche).
The Federal Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, more commonly known as the Controlled Substances Act, became effective on May 1, 1971., This federal law contains 3 different titles. Title I deals with the establishment of rehabilitation programs for drug abusers, Title II addresses the registration and distribution of controlled substances, and Title III discusses issues related to the importation and exportation of controlled substances. The main segment of interest to pharmacists is Title II. This RxLegal column is the first of a 4-part series that provides an overview of key components of this important federal law. The goal of the Controlled Substances Act is to improve the manufacturing, importation and exportation, distribution, and dispensing of controlled substances. To achieve this goal, manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers of controlled substances must be registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the agency charged with enforcement of the Act on the federal level.