Fredericksburg Drug Schedules
Although the penalties are different for state and federal drug offenses, the scheduling is pretty much the same. The one major difference between the Virginia Drug Control Act and the Federal Drug Control Act is marijuana, which is still scheduled as a Schedule I in the Federal Drug Control Act. However, it is not scheduled in Virginia. So, in the Virginia Control Act, marijuana is a category all to itself as opposed to federally where it is Schedule I. With that difference aside, the schedules are mostly the same and can be defended with the help of a Fredericksburg drug attorney.
Schedule I
Schedule I drugs are defined as having a high potential for abuse and they have no accepted medical use or treatment in the United States. Additionally, they lack the accepted safety for use and treatment under medical supervision.
There are a million classifications and schedules on each one, but the big one you will see in Schedule I are going to be drugs like heroin and PCP.
Schedule II
Schedule II are defined as substances that have a high potential for abuse and they are substances that have the current acceptable medical use and treatment in the United States or they can be used with severe restrictions.
Schedule II drugs include opium, morphine, codeine, and things produced by the cocoa leaves such as cocaine and certain amphetamines or speed. And so, when you get to the Schedule II, you are getting away from just strictly what would be considered your street-level narcotics and designer drugs. And you will see a combination of those and some substances that you are going to find in the hospitals, doctors’ offices, and prescriptions.
Schedule III
Schedule III substances are defined as substances that have a potential for abuse but less than substances listed in Schedule I and Schedule II. These substances have currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and the abuse of these substances may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. And the big ones in this category are going to be things such as your anabolic steroids. So, once again, now we are getting to not only street-level narcotics but the abuse of prescription drugs once you hit your Schedule IIIs.
A popular example of a Schedule III drug is anabolic steroids. So, once again, now we are getting to not only street-level narcotics but the abuse of prescription drugs once you hit your Schedule IIIs.
Schedule IV
Schedule IV is defined as substances that have a low potential for abuse. The substances have currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and the abuse of the substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to substances in Schedule III.
Examples of a Schedule IV drugs are Xanax and Valium.
Schedule V
Last, you are going to have Schedule V substances. Once again, these substances have a low potential for abuse relative to controlled substances listed in Schedule IV. These substances have currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and the substance has a limited risk for physical dependence.
For the most part, with Schedule V, you are not going to see it too often. Very rarely do they pop up but they can be seen through people misusing prescriptions. And so, that is what you are going to have in your schedules and your examples of each of them.