Schedule II (CSA)
Definition
High abuse potential but with accepted medical use under severe restrictions. Examples: cocaine (topical anaesthetic), methamphetamine (Desoxyn), fentanyl, oxycodone.
- Statute
- US Controlled Substances Act
- Abuse potential
- High
- Accepted medical use
- Yes, under severe restriction
- Examples
- Cocaine, methamphetamine (Desoxyn), fentanyl, oxycodone
Common questions
How does Schedule II differ practically from Schedule I in prescribing?+
Schedule II drugs can be legally prescribed, but with tighter controls than lower schedules, such as no automatic telephone refills in most jurisdictions and stricter quantity limits, reflecting their combination of medical value and high abuse risk.
Why is cocaine Schedule II rather than Schedule I?+
Cocaine retains a narrow accepted medical use as a topical anaesthetic in some surgical settings, which under the CSA framework places it in Schedule II instead of Schedule I despite its high abuse potential.
Related terms
- Class a (MDA 1971)
- The highest-penalty class under the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Includes heroin, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, fentanyl and magic mushrooms. Maximum: life...
- Commercial Quantity (NDPS)
- The upper quantity threshold under India's NDPS Act 1985 above which the maximum punishment (10 years to life) applies. Example: 250 g...
- EMCDDA
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, based in Lisbon. Coordinates the EU early-warning system for new psychoactive substances under Council...
- Federal Analogue Act (US)
- 1986 legislation extending Schedule I controls to substances substantially similar in structure or pharmacological effect to a Schedule I or II drug...
- Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (UK)
- UK catch-all legislation prohibiting supply, distribution, import, and export of any substance with psychoactive effects on the CNS, with exemptions for alcohol,...
- Reitox Network
- The network of 27 national focal points (one per EU member state) that feeds drug trend data and new substance notifications into...
- Schedule I (CSA)
- The highest-control tier under the US Controlled Substances Act: high abuse potential, no accepted medical use in the US. Examples: heroin, cannabis,...
- Small Quantity (NDPS)
- The lower quantity threshold under India's NDPS Act 1985; possession below this level triggers reduced sentencing exposure. Example: 5 g for heroin,...
- SWGDRUG
- Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs, established in 1997 by the US DEA and the Office of National Drug...