What is the difference between a DEA schedule and a UK class?

The US DEA schedule (I to V) ranks a substance by abuse potential and whether it has an accepted medical use. The UK Misuse of Drugs class (A, B, C) ranks harm to set criminal penalties. A drug can sit high on one scale and lower on the other.

Why is cannabis Schedule I in the US but Class B in the UK?

US federal law still lists cannabis as Schedule I, meaning no accepted medical use at the federal level, even though many states have legalised it. The UK classifies it as Class B, an intermediate harm tier. The two systems measure different things and disagree often.

Does the UK also have schedules?

Yes, but they are separate from the A/B/C classes. The UK Misuse of Drugs Regulations define Schedules 1 to 5 that govern how a drug may be prescribed, stored, and recorded. This tool shows the A/B/C harm classes used for criminal penalties.

What does Schedule I or Class A mean for penalties?

DEA Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical use and the tightest controls, while UK Class A drugs carry the harshest penalties, up to life imprisonment for supply. Both tiers represent the substances regulators consider most dangerous.

Is this list legally authoritative?

No. It is an educational reference. Drug classifications change, differ between countries and US states, and depend on formulation and intended use. Always consult current DEA, Home Office, or local regulations and a qualified professional for legal or medical decisions.

What is the Drug Schedule Classification Reference?

Search common drugs and see their US DEA controlled substance schedule (I to V) and UK Misuse of Drugs class (A, B, or C) side by side, with what each tier means for abuse potential and penalties. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Drug Schedule Classification Reference

Name: Drug Schedule Classification Reference
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Controlled substances are ranked by two very different systems on either side of the Atlantic. This reference lets you search a drug and see its US DEA schedule and its UK Misuse of Drugs class together, so you can compare how each regulator treats the same substance.

The US DEA schedule explained

The DEA schedule runs from I to V and answers two questions simultaneously: how high is the abuse potential, and does the drug have an accepted medical use in the United States?

DEA Schedule	Abuse potential	Medical use	Examples
I	High	None (federally)	Heroin, LSD, cannabis (federal), psilocybin
II	High	Accepted	Oxycodone, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine (topical)
III	Moderate	Accepted	Ketamine, anabolic steroids, buprenorphine
IV	Low	Accepted	Benzodiazepines (alprazolam, diazepam), zolpidem
V	Lowest	Accepted	Some cough preparations with codeine

Schedule II drugs require a written prescription with no refills in most states. The controls tighten, not loosen, as the schedule number decreases — Schedule II is more restricted than Schedule IV.

The UK class system explained

The UK Misuse of Drugs Act classes rank harm to set criminal penalties for possession and supply. Unlike the DEA schedule, the class does not directly encode whether the substance has medical use — that is handled by a separate UK Schedule system governing prescribing and storage.

UK Class	Harm ranking	Penalties (supply)	Examples
A	Highest	Up to life imprisonment	Heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, psilocybin
B	Intermediate	Up to 14 years	Cannabis, amphetamines, codeine, ketamine
C	Lower	Up to 14 years	Benzodiazepines, GHB, anabolic steroids

Why the systems diverge

The most striking example is cannabis: Schedule I in the US (no accepted federal medical use, high abuse potential) but Class B in the UK (intermediate harm, lower criminal tier than heroin). The systems measure different things — one measures medical utility and abuse potential, the other measures relative harm to set criminal sentences — so disagreements are expected rather than inconsistencies.

Another example: ketamine is Schedule III (US) but Class B (UK), reflecting how each country’s regulators weigh its anesthetic medical use against its abuse risk. Codeine shifts US schedules depending on concentration and combination product — it can be Schedule II, III, or V — showing how formulation affects classification.

Important limitations

Classifications change when new evidence emerges, when rescheduling petitions succeed, or when laws are updated. US state law frequently diverges from federal DEA scheduling for cannabis and psychedelics. Penalties also depend on quantity, intent (possession vs supply), prior history, and jurisdiction. Use this as an educational reference only — not as legal or medical advice.