Which agencies have the power to add, change or remove controlled substances from the schedules?

Which agencies have the power to add, change or remove controlled substances from the schedules?

• A. FDA
• B. FDA and DEA
• C. DEA
• D. NIH

Answer: (B)

Understanding who can schedule controlled substances starts with knowing that the process involves both enforcement authority and scientific evaluation. The DEA has the authority to add, change, or remove substances from the schedules under the Controlled Substances Act, making it the agency that enforces and implements scheduling decisions. The FDA plays a crucial supporting role by conducting scientific and medical evaluations of a substance’s potential for abuse, accepted medical use, and risk to public health, then providing scheduling recommendations to the DEA. NIH isn’t involved in scheduling decisions. Because scheduling relies on both the DEA’s enforcement authority and the FDA’s expert input, the combination of FDA and DEA is the right answer.

Understanding who can schedule controlled substances starts with knowing that the process involves both enforcement authority and scientific evaluation. The DEA has the authority to add, change, or remove substances from the schedules under the Controlled Substances Act, making it the agency that enforces and implements scheduling decisions. The FDA plays a crucial supporting role by conducting scientific and medical evaluations of a substance’s potential for abuse, accepted medical use, and risk to public health, then providing scheduling recommendations to the DEA. NIH isn’t involved in scheduling decisions. Because scheduling relies on both the DEA’s enforcement authority and the FDA’s expert input, the combination of FDA and DEA is the right answer.