Controlled substances act The Controlled Substances Act (CSA)
was enacted into law by the Congress of the United States as
Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control
Act of 1970. The CSA is the federal U.S. drug policy under which
the manufacture, importation, possession, and distribution of
certain drugs is regulated. The Act also served as the national
implementing legislation for the Single Convention on Narcotic
Drugs. The legislation created five Schedules (classifications),
with varying qualifications for a drug to be included in each.
Two federal departments, the Department of Justice and the
Department of Health and Human Services (which includes the Food
and Drug Administration) determine which drugs are added or
removed from the various schedules, though the statute passed by
Congress created the initial listing. Classification decisions
are required to be made on the criteria of potential for abuse,
accepted medical use in the United States, and potential for
dependence. The De