Controlled Substance drug classifications

Generic Drug Name (Selected Common Brand Names) [Controlled Substance] [Drug Classification] WARNING ... 

The composition of the six controlled substance analogs listed above often stimulate the same areas of the brain, but are chemically quite distinct from one another. MDMA (3, 4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine) is a complex drug that makes simple classification difficult. Its chemical structure is related both to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Methamphetamine bears a close resemblance to two powerful chemicals in the body, dopamine and norepinephrine, which regulate mood, memory, and movement. 

Drug classifications for law enforcement today are based on the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which classifies drugs according to their legitimate medical uses and their potential for abuse and dependence. Other legislation has been enacted in the years since to respond to changes in drug-use patterns. 

There are several ways to classify drugs of abuse. The most relevant classification to forensic science is the legal classification whereby the federal and state codes classify drugs of abuse as controlled substances by schedule. For the purposes of this chapter ihe discussion of the application of GC to drugs of abuse is limited to controlled substances. For the application of GC to other drugs, the reader is referred to Chapter 14 on clinical applications of GC. 

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