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Medically reviewed by L. Anderson, PharmD. Last updated on May 18, 2018.

Schedule I drugs are those that have the following characteristic according to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA):

• The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
• The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical treatment use in the U.S.
• It has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

According to federal law, no prescriptions may be written for Schedule I substances, and they are not readily available for clinical use.

Learn More: Commonly Abused Drugs and Substances

A substance does not need to be listed as a controlled substance by the DEA to be treated as a Schedule I substance for criminal prosecution. A controlled substance analogue (for example, a 'designer drug') is a substance which is structurally or pharmacologically similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II substance, specifically used for human consumption, and is not an approved medication in the United States.

NOTE: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, marijuana) is still considered a Schedule 1 drug by the DEA, even though some U.S. states have legalized marijuana for personal, recreational use or for medical use.

Drugs or Substances listed in DEA Schedule I may include:

• Heroin (diacetylmorphine)
• LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)
• Marijuana (cannabis, THC)
• Mescaline (Peyote)
• MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or “ecstasy”)
• GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) - except formulations in an FDA-approved drug product sodium oxybate (Xyrem) are Schedule III
• Ecstasy (MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
• Synthetic marijuana and analogs (Spice, K2)
• Methaqualone (Quaalude)
• Khat (Cathinone)
• Bath Salts (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone or MDPV)

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) schedule information displayed above applies to drugs or substances regulated under federal law. There may be variations in CSA schedules between individual states and federal law. For example, some drugs or compounds may be deemed a schedule I drug or may be listed in a different schedule in a state's specific controlled substance act, which may differ from the federal controlled substance act.

See Also

Sources

• U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Drug Scheduling. Accessed April 26, 2018 at https://www.dea.gov/drug-scheduling
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. List of Controlled Substances. Accessed April 26, 2018 at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/index.html#define

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

The drug has a high potential for abuse. The drug has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. Abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

The following drugs are listed as Schedule 2 (II) Drugs* by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA):

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) schedule information displayed applies to substances regulated under federal law. There may be variations in CSA schedules between individual states.