Which statement about the Controlled Substances Act is true?

• A. Schedule I substances have the highest potential for abuse.
• B. There is no scheduling system.
• C. Schedule II substances have the lowest risk.
• D. Schedule V substances have the highest potential for abuse.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how the Controlled Substances Act works helps here. Drugs are placed into schedules I through V based on abuse potential, medical use, and safety. Schedule I substances have the highest potential for abuse and, in the United States, no accepted medical use. That combination is why the statement about Schedule I having the highest abuse potential is true. The idea that there is no scheduling system is false—the Act indeed uses a formal scheduling framework. Schedule II substances do have accepted medical use but carry a high potential for abuse, not the lowest risk. Schedule V substances have the lowest potential for abuse and are the closest to being nonproblematic in terms of risk, not the highest.