Officially introduced to congress and approved swiftly after a call was made by President Richard Nixon for an updated and modern drug reform, the DEA or Drug Enforcement Agency was erected in 1970 and with it, the schedules of controlled substances in the United States of America. Set in a hierarchy which prioritizes the substances which have the broadest possibility of abuse as inherently the most dangerous,the numerous schedules of the DEA essentially provide increased punishment based on the severity of the substance being abused. Briefly in this article, we will outline the various differences between schedule III of the Drug Enforcement Agency in comparison to other more heinous schedules outlined, as well as looking into methods to help and deter people who may be in jeopardy of violating these laws and what consequences they may face if caught.
Below is an excerpt detailing the exact definition of Schedule III of the DEA as registered with the Federal Courts of the United States of America.
(A) The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in
schedules I and II.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high
psychological dependence. [12]Except when dispensed directly by a practitioner, other than a pharmacist, to an ultimate user, no controlled substance in schedule III or IV, which is a prescription drug as determined under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [21 U.S.C. 301 ET seq.], may be dispensed without a written or oral prescription in conformity with section 503(b) of that Act [21 U.S.C. 353 (b)]. Such prescriptions may not be filled or refilled more than six months after the date thereof or be refilled more than five times after the date of the prescription unless renewed by the practitioner.
[13] Control of wholesale distribution is somewhat less stringent than Schedule II drugs. Provisions for emergency situations are less restrictive within the "closed system" of the Controlled Substances Act than for Schedule II though no schedule has provisions to address circumstances where the closed system is unavailable, non-functioning or otherwise inadequate.
A breakdown of what it all essentially mean is as follows, section A of the article states a substance with inherently less potential for abuse then substances in schedule I and II, this seems to be the inherent nature of all the schedules, a condescending slope of severity, where the most dangerous drugs are placed in the first schedule, slowly whittling there way down and the punishment that is provided for abusing said schedules. Section B outlines the fact that any substance on schedule III of the DEA enforcement act is in fact a substance with a currently accepted medical application for treatment in the United States, none of the drugs on this schedule are in fact illicit narcotics, all of it will be prescribed medications which are restricted for use solely by a medical professional. Targeted as a drug with 'moderate to low' physical dependency and high psychological dependency, these are the primary factors involved in these substances being controlled, they pose a high risk to the standard we place on human life and it is section C that outlines precisely why these substances are to be targeted for enforcement. Section 12 outlines that the drug itself cannot be attained without a prescription and that anyone caught with it, without one, is in violation of the Law.
Often viewed as the 'weaker' forms of more illicit forms of drugs, or 'pharmaceuticals' as they often referred to when purchased illicitly, nearly all of the substances on this schedule can be readily detected and combated for abuse through traditional means of drug testing. Whether deciding to pursuit the testing through urine via dip-strip, or less-intrusive methods such as the collection of saliva, the most effective and accurate remains hair follicle testing, a version which allows someone to look back as far as three months for drug abuse and can often detect in the most trace amounts of schedule III substances which may be in someones system. Most commonly used by Law Enforcement is both urine and hair follicle testing, often prioritized over saliva testing for its accuracy.
Substances outlined and detailed in Schedule III of the DEA, as well as the methods of testing available on the open market for them.
- Intermediate-acting barbiturates, such as talbutal or butalbital; Buprenorphine; Dihydrocodeine (Urine, Saliva, Hair Follicle)
- Ketamine, a drug originally developed as a substitute for PCP. (Urine, Saliva, Hair Follicle)
- Xyrem, a variation of GHB used to treat narcolepsy. (All other forms of GHB are in Schedule I)
- Hydrocodone / codeine, when compounded with an NSAID or with acetaminophen (Vicodin or Tylenol 3) (Urine, Saliva, Hair Follicle)
- Marinol, a synthetic form of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) used to treat nausea afflicted by chemotherapy, as well as symptoms caused by AIDS. (Urine, Saliva, Hair Follicle)
-Paregoric, an antidiarrheal which contains opium combined with camphor (which makes it less addiction-prone than laudanum, which is in Schedule II) (Urine, Saliva, Hair Follicle)
-Lysergic acid amide ("LSA"), listed as a sedative but considered by some to be hallucinogenic. A precursor to and chemical relative of LSD. Both this and LSD have proven to be very difficult substances totest properly for. One version does exist, a clinical method of testing called a spinal tap, which can literally
detect the abuse of LSD for a period of years going back.
