Under the Controlled Substances Act, what are the Five Classes of Controlled Substances?

The Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970 to help the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforce drugs which could pose a risk to society if used improperly. Under the CSA, a controlled substance is any drug with a potential for abuse;drugs which do not pose an addiction risk are not regulated by the CSA, although they are by other agencies. The CSA was one of the early building blocks in the “war on drugs,” as it gave a law enforcement agency specific powers when it came to the issue of drug abuse.

Under the CSA, a controlled substance falls into one of five schedules, depending on how addictive it is. Drugs are also grouped in five classes: narcotics, depressants, stimulants, anabolic steroids, and hallucinogens are all regulated under the CSA. The DEA also monitors the growth, sale, and use of Cannabis sativa, or marijuana. When a new drug is released on the market, part of the testing involves a determination of how potentially addictive it is, so that it can be classified and regulated under the CSA, if necessary. A drug which is listed as a controlled substance has to be handled with care in a clinical environment, and usually requires a prescription for use outside a clinic.

The schedule that a controlled substance falls into depends upon how addictive it is. Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs which the DEA has determined have no valid medical use, in addition to a high potential for addiction. Examples include heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and many other hallucinogens. A schedule II drug is a drug with a high potential for addiction, but a valid medical use, such as some opiates, methadone, morphine, and amphetamine. A schedule III controlled substance has a low to moderate potential for drug addiction, and this category includes combined narcotics such as Tylenol-Codeine, along with steroids. Schedule IV drugs have a much lower addiction potential relative to the other schedules, and include benzodiazepines and mild narcotics. At the bottom of the scale, a schedule V controlled substance has the lowest potential for addiction.

The narcotics class of controlled substances primarily includes opiates. These drugs are used for therapeutic pain relief, but many also have a high potential for addiction. Most are schedule II or III drugs, due to the risk of addiction, and they are heavily regulated by the government. The next class, depressants, is used to relieve tension, address sleep issues, and provide sedation. Depressants can be extremely hazardous to the health, as many also have effects on the central nervous system. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are both considered depressants.

Stimulants are used therapeutically for a number of purposes, including weight loss, attention deficit disorders, and to treat narcolepsy. Amphetamines and other similar drugs are considered a controlled substance under this class: users can experience a state of euphoria which is highly addictive. Anabolic steroids are also considered a controlled substance, due to the high potential for abuse. This drug abuse is growing in the United States, especially among youth. While steroids do have medical value, they are also heavily abused as performance enhancers by athletes at all levels of skill and competition.

The final class of controlled substances, hallucinogens, includes drugs that have the potential to alter the mind. Hallucinogens induce a state of euphoria which is often accompanied by visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations. Most of these drugs are lumped under schedule I, because they have no valid medical use, although ketamine is licensed for use in animals and in emergency situations for humans. Other hallucinogens include acid, toxic mushrooms, and Ecstasy.