The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act was made law in 1970. Title II of this law, the Controlled Substances Act, is the legal foundation of narcotics enforcement in the United States. The Controlled Substances Act regulates the manufacture, possession, movement, and distribution of drugs in our country. It places all drugs into one of five schedules, or classifications, and is controlled by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Federal Drug Administration. The following list contains examples of the five schedules.

Schedule I Drugs
Schedule I drugs have a high tendency for abuse and have no accepted medical use. This schedule includes drugs such as Marijuana, Heroin, Ecstasy, LSD, and GHB. Recent activists have tried to change the schedule for Marijuana citing the possible medical benefits of the drug. Pharmacies do not sell Schedule I drugs, and they are not available with a prescription by physician.

Schedule II Drugs
Schedule II drugs have a high tendency for abuse, may have an accepted medical use, and can produce dependency or addiction with chronic use. This schedule includes examples such as Cocaine, Opium, Morphine, Fentanyl, Amphetamines, and Methamphetamines. Schedule II drugs may be available with a prescription by a physician, but not all pharmacies may carry them. These drugs require more stringent records and storage procedures than drugs in Schedules III and IV.

Schedule III Drugs
Schedule III drugs have less potential for abuse or addiction than drugs in the first two schedules and have a currently accepted medical use. Examples of Schedule III drugs include Anabolic steroids, Codeine, Ketamine, Hydrocodone with Aspirin, and Hydrocodone with Acetaminophen. Schedule III drugs may be available with a prescription, but not all pharmacies may carry them.

Schedule IV Drugs
Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse, have a currently accepted medical use, has a low chance for addiction or limited addictive properties. Examples of Schedule IV drugs include Valium, Xanax, Phenobarbital, and Rohypnol (commonly known as the "date rape" drug). These drugs may be available with a prescription, but not all pharmacies may carry them.

Schedule V Drugs
Schedule V drugs have a lower chance of abuse than Schedule IV drugs, have a currently accepted medical use in the US, and lesser chance or side effects of dependence compared to Schedule IV drugs.  This schedule includes such drugs as cough suppressants with Codeine. Schedule V drugs are regulated but generally do not require a prescription.