Introduction
In the production of drugs and other substances, manufacturers have the mandate of listing the underlying chemical compounds and other substances used in the production process. That would help in defining the schedule in which the drug will fall under based on the current drug policy within the United States. Classification of drugs into different schedules helps in maintaining an overall understanding of what to expect based on one’s intake of the drugs and other substances. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has come up with five distinct categories or schedules of drugs depending on their chemical composition (Nutt, King, & Nichols, 2013). Each of the schedules has its own set of drugs with Schedule One having the most dangerous drugs while Schedule Five having the least harmful. In addition, the agency also considers other aspects of the drug including medical use, abuse capabilities, and potential of dependency in the categorization of the drugs.
I believe that the current drug scheduling strategy is important, as it tries to highlight the potential impacts associated with intake of specific drug substances. The DEA has the mandate of protecting individuals from exposure to drugs and other illicit substances that may cause significant physical or psychological damages (Nutt, King, & Nichols, 2013). Consequently, that leads to the need for having to categorize drugs into different categories as a way of highlighting their potential impacts. I believe that the strategy is effective in the fight against drug and substance abuse, especially within the United States. That strategy helps in the education of local communities on the impacts of drug and substance abuse based on their underlying chemical compounds used in the production processes. However, it is important for the agency to create provisions that would help in the rescheduling of drugs within different categories depending on manufacturing changes.
Review of Current Schedule
Schedule I
Schedule I refers to drugs that do not have any notable uses in the health care industry but present very high capacities with regard to abuse. The DEA considers this schedule of drugs as the most dangerous category based on the potential impacts that they may have on one’s psychological status. Another aspect to note about drugs in this schedule is that they lack acceptable safety elements that would ensure that the drugs are administered under medical supervision. Some of the key examples of drugs within this schedule include heroin, peyote, and marijuana among others. The potential problem associated with this drug is that it increases the possibility of physical dependence among users. That creates a problem in the treatment process, as individuals find it hard to reduce their dependence on the drug.
Schedule II
Similar to schedule I, drugs in schedule II are considered as having the very high potential of abuse in the event of overuse. The only difference is that some of the chemicals compounds used in the manufacture of these drugs tend to have acceptable medical uses. However, the acceptability of these drug compounds occurs within a restricted environment as part of the health care industry. According to the policies set by the DEA, any individual arrested in possession of any drug within this schedule without any written prescription contravenes the law. Examples of drugs within this schedule include cocaine, methadone, oxycodone, morphine, and tapentadol among others. The problem associated with these drugs is that they create high levels of psychological dependence for the individuals involved.
Schedule III
Drugs and other substances within schedule III have a lower potential for abuse when compared to the previous schedules. However, this depends wholly on whether individuals taking these drugs do so within a controlled environment. In some cases, individuals may abuse these drugs if not taken within controlled environments as part of the health care industry. Another key aspect to note about these drugs is that they contain accepted medical use in the treatment of different medical conditions within different states in the United States. One potential problem associated with increased usage of these drugs is that they tend to have negative side effects if not controlled. Examples include steroids, ketamine, and testosterone among others.
Schedule IV
Schedule IV consists of drugs and substances that would have the least potential for abuse when compared to those in schedule III of lower. The drugs within this schedule have potential usability within the health care system in different states within the United States. However, refill for these drugs is limited to at least five times within a period of six months as a way of limiting dependence on the drug. Abuse of these drugs may lead to limited dependence both physically and psychologically when compared to the previous schedules. One key problem associated with the drugs in this schedule is that the present a wide variety of side effects that are important to note before intake. Examples include Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Tramadol among others.
Schedule V
Drugs and substances within schedule V tend to have high similarities when compared to those in schedule IV. These drugs have limited potential to create dependence or abuse regardless of the intake levels. In addition, the drugs contain substances that have accepted medical uses within the United States health system. The only difference is that the dispensation of these drugs does not have any notable limitations, as it is the case in schedule IV. The problem is that these drugs also contain significant side effects that are important to note before intake. Examples include cough suppressants, Motofen, and Lyrica among others.
Comprehensive Schedule of Drugs
The comprehensive schedule of drugs will present an updated schedule of drugs that would help in the reclassification of the drug as presented in the current schedule. The reclassification process will focus on specific aspects relating to each category towards defining the effectiveness of the drug schedules in dealing with cases of drug and substance abuse. The comprehensive schedule of drugs would include:
Schedule I
Schedule I will consist of drugs that have the highest levels of potential impacts upon intake. The drugs will also have the highest capacity to create both physical and psychological dependence among users. In addition, these drugs will have no accepted medical use in any state within the United States. Based on the current schedule, the drug that would move from this schedule is marijuana towards a lesser dangerous drug category. The movement of marijuana comes about due to its increasing medical uses especially in the treatment of cancer and relieving of pain. That acts as a justification for having to remove marijuana from this particular schedule towards a new schedule. One drug that ought to be included in this schedule is mescaline, which is a combination of different drugs in this category.
Schedule II
Schedule II will consist of drugs with a lesser capacity for abuse, as well as, potential impacts when compared to those in schedule I. However, these drugs will have acceptable medical uses in some areas of health care including treatment of specific medical conditions among other uses. Marijuana may be included within this schedule based on several factors that provide a clear outlook of the drug. Marijuana tends to have high capacities for abuse among users with the potential impacts being as high as the drugs in schedule I. However, the drug has positive uses in the treatment of specific medical conditions. Examples of drugs to be included in this schedule include marijuana and opium among others.
Schedule III
Schedule III will consist of drugs with a slight potential for abuse among users especially when not taken within controlled environments. In addition, the schedule will consist of drugs that have a wide range of medically accepted uses. However, the potential impacts of these drugs must be lower when compared to the potential impacts of using drugs in schedule I or II. The drugs within this schedule may be dispensed based on written prescriptions by a licensed medical practitioner. That would help towards avoiding instances where the drugs within this schedule tend to have increased effects or impacts for individual users. Examples of drugs that ought to be within this category include buprenorphine and marinol.
Schedule IV
Schedule IV will consist of drugs with a lower potential in terms of abuse and potential impacts. However, the drugs will be restricted with the aim of preventing cases associated with overuse of specific drugs or substances. The restrictions within this schedule would include written or oral prescriptions, as well as, detailed analysis of the medical condition suffered. Classification of drugs within this schedule would depend on the limitations in terms of psychological and physical dependence. Examples of drugs that would be included in this schedule include chloral hydrate and difenoxin.
Schedule V
Schedule V will consist of drugs with the least possibilities of abuse or potential impacts upon intake. Consideration of drugs within this schedule will focus on medication provided within health care facilities as part of treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. However, this schedule will also highlight the negative impacts associated with drugs in this particular schedule especially on matters associated with increased side effects. One key drug that may be included in this category is diphenoxylate, which is used in the treatment of diarrhea.
Schedule VI
The DEA may also include Schedule VI that will consist of drugs accepted for recreational use. The drugs within this schedule do not serve any medical purposes, as they do not help in the treatment of any medical conditions. The potential impact of these drugs is somewhat high, as they are somewhat similar to drugs in schedule II. These drugs also have a high potential for abuse if not taken within controlled environments. The drugs that would be included in this schedule are alcohol and tobacco.
Conclusion
Rescheduling of drugs within the comprehensive schedule of drugs presented above may help towards ensuring that all drugs are placed within their respective categories. In addition, rescheduling of drugs within the new schedules may help towards the inclusion of new drugs that were not categorized in the current schedule. Placement of drugs is important, as it helps in highlighting their potential impacts upon intake. That will also help in drug and substance abuse treatment as health professionals would be in a better position to understand the drugs with the highest levels of impacts.
References
Nutt, D. J., King, L. A., & Nichols, D. E. (2013). Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(8), 577-585.
