Diet Pills - The Law
The Law
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the regulation of prescription diet pills. The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a portion of the 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, classified drugs into five categories, or schedules, based on the effect of the drug, its medical use, and potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs, those in the most tightly controlled category, have no medical use and an extremely high potential for abuse.
Among diet drugs, benzphetamine and phendimetrazine are considered Schedule III drugs. Abuse of these drugs may lead to physical or psychological dependence. Diethylpropion, phentermine, and sibutramine diet pills are considered Schedule IV drugs. They have a lower potential for abuse than the Schedule IIIs, but still may lead to physical or psychological dependence in some users. Federal law prohibits the use or distribution of diet pills obtained without a prescription.
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
