Drug Enforcement Administration

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States Department of Justice law enforcement agency tasked with suppressing the sale of recreational drugs of abuse and enforcing the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

Congress divided proscribed substances into five schedules (enforced by the DEA) based on a number of factors, including DEA's perceived potential for abuse and whether the Department of Health and Human Services recognizes any legitimate medical uses for the drug. Penalties for possession of illegal drugs vary according to the schedule of a substance.

The DEA has been criticized for placing drugs which many researchers regard as having potential medical uses, such as MDMA, on highly restrictive schedules, even over the objections of many experts in the field of pharmacology and medicine. Critics claim that such decisions are motivated primarily by political factors stemming from the US government's War on Drugs, and that many potential benefits of such substances remain unknown due to the difficulty of conducting scientific research.

Others criticize the very existence of the DEA and the War on Drugs as inimical to the concept of civil liberties; arguing that adults should have the right to put whatever substances they choose into their own bodies.

Drug Schedules

• Schedule I Drugs, those considered to have high potential for abuse, with no recognized medical use:
  • includes, among others, PCP; GHB; MDA; MDMA/Ecstasy; fentanyl; heroin; ibogaine; LSD; marijuana; mescaline; peyote; psilocybin

• Schedule II Drugs, those with a high potential for abuse; some recognized medical uses; and a high incidence of physical or psychological dependence. These are available only by prescription, and distribution is carefully controlled and monitored by the DEA.
  • includes, among others, cocaine; ritalin; demerol; opium; oxycodone; pentobarbital; morphine; methamphetamine; amphetamine

• Schedule III Drugs are deemed to have less potential for abuse than Schedules I and II; recognized medical uses; and a moderate to low incidence of physical or psychological dependence. These are available only by prescription, though control of wholesale distribution is somewhat less stringent than Schedule II drugs.
  • includes, among others, anabolic steroids; barbiturates; codeine; synthetic THC; ketamine

• Schedule IV Drugs are deemed to have a low potential for abuse relative to drugs in Schedule III; recognized medical uses; and a low risk of dependence relative to drugs in Schedule III. These are controlled similarly to Schedule III drugs.
  • includes, among others, Xanax; Librium; Valium; Rohypnol

• Schedule V Drugs are deemed to have a low potential for abuse relative to drugs in Schedule IV and a small incidence of physical or psychological dependence. These are mostly available over the counter
  • includes, among others, cough suppressants containing small amounts of codeine.

External links

• DEA official web site [1]
• The History of the DEA from 1973 to 1998: [1]