• Schedule I substances are those that have the following findings:

  1. The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
  2. The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
  3. There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.^[23]

  No prescriptions may be written for Schedule I substances, and such substances are subject to production quotas by the DEA.

  Under the DEA's interpretation of the CSA, a drug does not necessarily have to have the same abuse potential as heroin or cocaine to merit placement in Schedule I (in fact, cocaine is currently a Schedule II drug due to limited medical use):

  [W]hen it comes to a drug that is currently listed in schedule I, if it is undisputed that such drug has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and it is further undisputed that the drug has at least some potential for abuse sufficient to warrant control under the CSA, the drug must remain in schedule I. In such circumstances, placement of the drug in schedules II through V would conflict with the CSA since such drug would not meet the criterion of "a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." 21 USC]] 812(b).^[24]

  Sentences for first-time, non-violent offenders convicted of trafficking in Schedule I drugs can easily turn into de facto life sentences when multiple sales are prosecuted in one proceeding.^[25] Sentences for violent offenders are much higher.

Drugs included in the Schedule 1 Classification

• Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), also known as Sodium Oxybate) which has been used as a general anaesthetic and for the treatment of narcolepsy-cataplexy and alcohol withdrawal with minimal side-effects ^[26] and controlled action but a limited safe dosage range. It was placed in Schedule I in March 2000 after widespread recreational use led to increased emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.^[27] Uniquely, this drug is also listed in Schedule III for limited uses, under the trademark Xyrem;
• 12-methoxyibogamine (Ibogaine), being reported to help in heroin and other substance addiction
• Marijuana including the cannabis plant and its THC. Controversy exists about the placement of marijuana in Schedule I. Like some other drugs in Schedule I, there have been no reported cases of THC overdose. Main article: Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
• Heroin (diacetylmorphine), which is used in some European countries as a potent pain reliever in terminal cancer patients, and as second option, after morphine. (It is about twice as potent, by weight, as morphine.). In Switzerland, it is prescribed to intravenous heroin addicts who have not responded to other forms of treatment.^[28]
• Other strong opiates and opioids used in many other countries, or even in the USA in previous decades for palliation of moderate to severe pain such as nicomorphine (Vilan), dextromoramide (Palfium), ketobemidone (Ketalgin), dihydromorphine (Paramorfan), piritramide (Dipidolor), diacetyldihydromorphine (Paralaudin), dipipanone (Wellconal), phenadoxone (Heptalgin) and many others.
• Weak opioids used for relief of moderate pain, diarrhea, and coughing such as benzylmorphine (Peronine), nicocodeine (Tusscodin), Dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, tilidine (Valoron), meptazinol (Meptid), propiram (Algeril), acetyldihydrocodeine and others.
• Pholcodine, a weak opioid cough suppressant with negligible abuse potential^{[citation needed]} which is available over-the-counter in many other countries.
• MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, "ecstasy"), which continues to be used medically, notably in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The medical community originally agreed upon placing it as a Schedule III substance, but the government denied this suggestion, despite two court rulings by the DEA's administrative law judge that placing MDMA in Schedule I was illegal. It was temporarily unscheduled after the first administrative hearing from December 22, 1987 – July 1, 1988.^[29]
• Psilocybin and psilocin, psychedelic tryptamines which are the main psychoactive constituents of psilocybin mushrooms;
• 5-MeO-DIPT
• Lysergic acid diethylamide ("LSD" / "Acid"), a psychedelic ergoline formerly used in psychotherapy and the best known treatment for alcoholism to date.^[30]
• Peyote (Lophophora williamsii), a cactus growing in nature primarily in northeastern Mexico; one of the few plants specifically scheduled, with a narrow exception to its legal status for religious use by members of the Native American Church;
• Mescaline, the main psychoactive constituent in peyote (Lophophora williamsii), San Pedro cactus (Echinopsis pachanoi), and Peruvian torch cactus (Echinopsis peruviana);
• Methaqualone (Quaalude, Sopor, Mandrax), a sedative that was previously used for similar purposes as barbiturates, until it was rescheduled;
• 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (STP / DOM), a psychedelic phenethylamine that rose to prominence in 1967 in San Francisco when it appeared in pill form (known as "STP," in doses as high as four times the amounts previously considered "safe") on the black market;
• 2C-T-7 (Blue Mystic / T7), a psychedelic phenethylamine;
• 2C-B (Nexus / Bees / Venus / Bromo Mescaline), a psychedelic phenethylamine;
• Cathinone (β-ketoamphetamine), an amphetamine-like stimulant found in the shrub Catha edulis (Khat);
• AMT (alpha-methyltryptamine), an anti-depressant from the tryptamine family; first developed in the Soviet Union and marketed under the brand name Indopan;
• Bufotenin (5-OH-DMT), a naturally-occurring psychedelic tryptamine; named for the Bufo genus of toads whose poison contains the chemical;^[31]
• Benzylpiperazine (BZP), a synthetic drug also known as "party pills" or "herbal highs" is nearly indistinguishable from dexamphetamine and similar to MDMA. It has been shown to be associated with an increase in seizures if taken alone.^[32] Although the effects of BZP are not as potent as MDMA, it can produce neuroadaptions that can cause an increase in the potential for abuse of this drug.^[33]
• Controlled Substance Analogs intended for human consumption (as defined by the Federal Analog Act)