Prince William County Drug Schedules of Controlled Substances

In Prince William County, a controlled dangerous substance is a chemical substance that is classified into one of six different schedules under the Virginia Drug Control Act. Schedules one through five classify chemicals according to the potential for abuse, potential harm to users, and medicinal utility. These schedules include immediate precursors of scheduled drugs. Schedule six encompasses harmful substances that are not reached by the first five schedules.

The Virginia code also criminalizes chemicals referred to as designer drugs, which are chemicals that have the same effects as scheduled drugs but whose chemical composition has been altered enough to fall outside of the schedule categories. A designer drug is considered to be listed in the same drug schedule as the drug which it imitates. Similarly, the Virginia criminal code separately criminalizes imitation controlled substances, which are fake drugs that are presented as real controlled substances. To learn more about Prince William County drug schedules of controlled substances, an individual should speak with an intelligent drug attorney that could answer their questions.

Does the Scheduling of Drugs in Prince William County Differ From the Federal Drug Schedule?

Prince William County drug schedules of controlled substances do not differ from the entire federal drug schedule. The Virginia Drug Control Act is almost identical to the Federal Controlled Substances Act. In Prince William County, what differentiates each schedule from the other is the degree of medical viability, the potential for abuse or dependence, and physical harm that is included drug presence for users.

Schedules of Controlled Substances

There are five different Prince William County drug schedules of controlled substances and they are listed below.

Schedule One Controlled Substances

The definition of schedule one controlled substances is a high potential for abuse and no accepted safe medical use or treatment under medical supervision or otherwise. Examples are heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and peyote.

Schedule Two Controlled Substances

Schedule two controlled substances have a high potential for abuse, which could lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, but still, have some accepted and safe uses as medical treatment. Examples are cocaine, methamphetamines, methadone, PCP, and oxycodone.

Schedule Three Controlled Substances

Schedule three controlled substances have a lower potential for abuse than schedule one or two drugs. Their abuse leads to only moderate or low physical dependence, but still high psychological dependence. All schedule three drugs have accepted medical treatment uses. Examples are ketamine, hydrocodone, anabolic steroids, and various types of testosterone.

Schedule Four Controlled Substances

Schedule four controlled substances present a low potential for abuse leading to limited physical or psychological dependence. All schedule four drugs have accepted medical use. Examples are Xanax, Valium, and Ambien.

Schedule Five and Schedule Six Controlled Substances

Schedule five controlled substances have an even lower potential for abuse and present a limited risk of physical or psychological dependence while still containing acceptable medical use. Examples are codeine, Pyrovalerone, and ezogabine. Schedule six controlled substances are those harmful drugs that are not otherwise classified in schedules one through five because they are not considered as having the potential for abuse.

How Sentencing is Influenced By Drug Schedule

In Prince William County, minimum and maximum sentencing is influenced by the type of controlled substance possessed by a person. The more serious the schedule classification is of a controlled substance, the more serious the minimum and maximum sentences would be. If an individual wants to know more about Prince William County drug schedules of controlled substances and the impact that these schedules could have and how to mitigate the consequences of a drug charge, they should speak with an accomplished drug lawyer that could  help.