Schedule I Controlled Substances Classification

Definition and Characteristics

• The American College of Emergency Physicians acknowledges that Schedule I substances, such as heroin, are distinguished from Schedule II substances like morphine and oxycodone due to their lack of accepted medical use, despite both having high abuse potential 1
• The Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration recognize that Schedule I substances differ from Schedule II and III substances in that they have no accepted medical use, as stated by the Annals of Emergency Medicine and other sources 1, 2

Specific Schedule I Substances

• Heroin, a Schedule I substance, is classified as such due to its high abuse potential and lack of accepted medical use, unlike other opioids such as morphine and methadone which are Schedule II, as noted in the Annals of Emergency Medicine 1