Federal and State Drug Law

Views on drugs today have changed since earlier times, when drugs were acceptable and often praised for there medical effects. The first narcotics law came about in the beginning of the 1900´s.

The federal drug law came into a uniform system in 1970 when the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act were passed. This Act puts drugs into five classes that are listed in schedules and states regulatory requirements and punishments for the wrongful use of the drugs on each schedule. The United States Attorney General is free to add drugs to the schedules as necessary.

Wisconsin´s drug laws are the same as the Federal Act although the punishments are either more or less harsh.

The harshest punishments are in schedule I and II drugs as set forth in the Federal Law.

Schedule I:
Schedule I drugs include the ones with a high possibility for abuse, with no medical use, that are dangerous to the user even if medically supervised. Commonly recognized kinds of these drugs include heroin, LSD, mescaline, marijuana, and peyote.

Schedule II:
Schedule II drugs have a high possibility for abuse and a high possibility for immense psychological or physical reliance, but are presently acknowledged for medical use. These kinds of drugs include opium, cocaine, methadone, amphetamines, and methamphetamines.

Schedule III:
Schedule III drugs do not have as high of a possibility of abuse. They do have a possibility for moderate psychological or physical reliance, and are acknowledged for medical use. The most common schedule III drug is naline, primarily used to distinguish narcotic use.

Schedule IV:
Schedule IV drugs are less likely to abuse than schedule III drugs. They have a limited potential for dependency, and they are acknowledged in medical treatment. These types of drugs include tranquilizers, meprobamate, chloral hydrate, most drugs that involve sleep, and sedatives.

Schedule V:
Schedule V drugs have a low possibility of abuse, a limited threat for reliance and have acknowledged medical uses. These drugs have small amounts of codeine or other narcotics in them.