21 U.S.C. § 811
Authority and criteria for classification of substances
The Attorney General shall, before initiating proceedings under subsection (a) to control a drug or other substance or to remove a drug or other substance entirely from the schedules, and after gathering the necessary data, request from the Secretary a scientific and medical evaluation, and his recommendations, as to whether such drug or other substance should be so controlled or removed as a controlled substance. In making such evaluation and recommendations, the Secretary shall consider the factors listed in paragraphs (2), (3), (6), (7), and (8) of subsection (c) and any scientific or medical considerations involved in paragraphs (1), (4), and (5) of such subsection. The recommendations of the Secretary shall include recommendations with respect to the appropriate schedule, if any, under which such drug or other substance should be listed. The evaluation and the recommendations of the Secretary shall be made in writing and submitted to the Attorney General within a reasonable time. The recommendations of the Secretary to the Attorney General shall be binding on the Attorney General as to such scientific and medical matters, and if the Secretary recommends that a drug or other substance not be controlled, the Attorney General shall not control the drug or other substance. If the Attorney General determines that these facts and all other relevant data constitute substantial evidence of potential for abuse such as to warrant control or substantial evidence that the drug or other substance should be removed entirely from the schedules, he shall initiate proceedings for control or removal, as the case may be, under subsection (a).
The Attorney General may, without regard to the findings required by subsection (a) of this section or section 812(b) of this title and without regard to the procedures prescribed by subsections (a) and (b) of this section, place an immediate precursor in the same schedule in which the controlled substance of which it is an immediate precursor is placed or in any other schedule with a higher numerical designation. If the Attorney General designates a substance as an immediate precursor and places it in a schedule, other substances shall not be placed in a schedule solely because they are its precursors.
If, at the time a new-drug application is submitted to the Secretary for any drug having a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system, it appears that such drug has an abuse potential, such information shall be forwarded by the Secretary to the Attorney General.
This subchapter, referred to in subsecs. (a), (c)(8), (d)(3), (4)(A), (B), and (g)(2), (3), was in the original “this title”, meaning title II of Pub. L. 91–513,
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to in subsecs. (d)(3) and (g)(1), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040, which is classified generally to chapter 9 (§ 301 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 301 of this title and Tables.
Schedules I, II, III, IV, and V, referred to in subsecs. (d)(4)(A), (B), (h)(1), and (j)(1), are set out in section 812(c) of this title.
The Psychotropic Substances Act of 1978, referred to in subsec. (d)(5), is Pub. L. 95–633,
This subchapter and subchapter II of this chapter, referred to in subsec. (g)(1), was in the original “titles II and III of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act”, which was translated as meaning titles II and III of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91–513,
2015—Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 114–89 added subsec. (j).
2014—Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 113–260 added subsec. (i).
2012—Subsec. (h)(2). Pub. L. 112–144 substituted “2 years” for “one year” and “1 year” for “six months”.
2004—Subsec. (g)(1). Pub. L. 108–358, § 2(b)(1), substituted “drug which contains a controlled substance from the application of this subchapter and subchapter II of this chapter if such drug” for “substance from a schedule if such substance”.
Subsec. (g)(3)(C). Pub. L. 108–358, § 2(b)(2), added subpar. (C).
1984—Subsec. (g)(3). Pub. L. 98–473, § 509(a), added par. (3).
Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 98–473, § 508, added subsec. (h).
1978—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 95–633 designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added pars. (2) to (5).
“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (d)(2), (3), (4)(A), (B), (5) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.
Amendment by Pub. L. 108–358 effective 90 days after
Amendment by Pub. L. 95–633 effective on date the Convention on Psychotropic Substances enters into force in the United States [