tered by transdermal patch, injection, or rectal
suppository. Injection allows the most rapid deliv-
ery; other forms allow slower entry of the drug
into the BLOODcirculation.
See also BIOAVAILABILITY; PHARMACOKINETICS.
scheduled drug In the United States a DRUGthat
has strict prescribing and availability criteria
because of its potential for ADDICTIONor abuse, as
the federal Uniform Controlled Substance Act
(UCSA) of 1970 specifies and regulates. Some sub-
stances 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 HEROINand 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 defini-
tion; in general the distribution system is a closed
one in that every individual who handles a sched-
uled drug must account for that drug’s passage
through his or her contact. The US Drug Enforce-
ment 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 writ-
ten 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 pre-
scription though states may otherwise regulate
their availability.170 Drugs
SCHEDULED DRUGSSchedule Common Drugs Definition
schedule I HEROIN, LSD, mescaline, methylenedioxymethamphetamine no accepted medical use
(MDMA), methaqualone, racemoramide, tilidine, high risk for abuse
trimeperidine unsafe for use
schedule II amobarbital, AMPHETAMINE, COCAINE, codeine, glutethimide, limited medical use
hydrocodone, hydromorphone, levorphanol, meperidine, high risk for abuse
METHADONE, methylphenidate, morphine, oxycodone, high risk for physical or
oxymorphone, pentobarbital psychological dependence
schedule III amobarbital, amphetamine, anabolic steroids, BUPRENORPHINE, accepted medical use
chlorphentermine, codeine compounds, GLUTETHIMIDE, moderate risk for abuse
hydrocodone compounds, phenmetrazine moderate risk for physical or
psychological dependence
schedule IV BENZODIAZEPINES, CHLORAL HYDRATE, meprobamate, paraldehyde, accepted medical use
pemoline, pentazocine, phenobarbital, propoxyphene low risk for abuse
compounds, zolpidem low risk for physical or
psychological dependence
schedule V codeine COUGHpreparations, dihydrocodeine, diphenoxylate accepted medical use
negligible risk for abuse
negligible risk for physical
dependence, low risk for
psychological dependence