Controlled substances are classified into five different schedules by the federal government based on their specific potential dangers. The category dictates the level of regulation for each drug.
Controlled substances are prescription drugs that are regulated by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to protect people from the potential harm of these medications. These drugs are subject to a number of controlled substance regulations to ensure their safe and legal usage in the country.
However, all scheduled drugs do not bear the same regulations per se. The rules are based on the medical use of each drug, potential for abuse, safety as well as how easily people can become dependent on it. Let us take a look at the categories of controlled substances:
Schedule I – These are drugs that not only have a high potential for abuse, but also come without any current federally accepted medical use for treatment as such. As there is a lack of accepted safety for use even under medical supervision, they are considered illegal from every aspect. Indeed, drugs like heroin and LSD are not available for use even with a prescription. Marijuana is the only Schedule I drug that is legal for medicinal and recreational uses in many states.
Schedule II – Even though these drugs also have a high potential for abuse, they do feature a currently accepted medical use in treatment as well. Due to the possibility of severe physical or psychological dependence, cocaine and morphine are subject to special restrictions like needing a hand-written prescription signed by the healthcare provider and not allowing refills on the same prescription.
Schedule III – Drugs falling in this category have a slightly lower potential for abuse which can lead to moderate or low physical dependence. However, the possibility of psychological dependence remains high. The schedule covers anabolic steroids, barbiturates and codeine which can be refilled five times within 6 months after the issuing date, provided the same has been authorized on the prescription by the healthcare provider. Post this, a new prescription will be required.
Schedule IV – This comprises of drugs and substances that can cause limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule III.It contains anti-anxiety medications like Xanax along with other commonly-prescribed ones like Valium, Talwin, Darvon and more.
Schedule V - Substances in this schedule feature the lowest potential for abuse as they can cause limited physical or psychological dependence. Drugs in this category are prepared using controlled quantities of certain narcotics, like cough medicines with codeine. While these can be refilled regularly with authorization, certain states have restricted the number of refills allowed on each prescription. In sum, CSA controlled substances are defined by their medical value as well as how likely they are to cause dependance and lead to abuse. These schedules should not be confused with the five classes of drugs - narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and anabolic steroids – as they are organized according to their main properties.
