In 1970, the federal government passed the Controlled Substances Act to organize drugs into five categories that are known as schedules. The schedules measure each drug based on its potential for abuse, legal status, medicinal uses, and effects on people’s minds.
Originally, schedule 1 was the most dangerous drug schedule, but as some drugs were moved and laws changed, this is no longer considered true. In fact, the placement of some drugs may be confusing, but they are still important as the lower the schedule number, the worse the criminal charge in most instances. Currently, the five schedules of drugs are: