Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), how are drugs classified?

• A. Review the schedules of controlled substances by color
• B. Classify drugs by medical uses alone
• C. Classify drugs by their potential for abuse and medical use
• D. Classify drugs by safety, medical use, and potential for abuse

Answer: (D)

Drugs under the CSA are classified using three criteria: potential for abuse, accepted medical use in treatment, and safety or risk to public health. These factors determine how substances are scheduled from I to V, with the overall framework relying on all three. The option that includes safety, medical use, and potential for abuse best matches how the CSA actually evaluates and groups substances. The other choices fall short by omitting one or more of these essential elements: color coding has no basis in law; sorting by medical use alone ignores abuse potential and safety; and focusing only on abuse potential and medical use leaves out safety as a factor.