Controlled Substances Act Clarification in Sciences Act of 2026

This bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act by adding definitions for terms used in deciding how drugs are scheduled, including "accepted medical use," "abuse," "misuse," "potential for abuse," "physical dependence," "psychological dependence," and "potential benefits to society." Under the new definition, a drug could have an accepted medical use if it is FDA-approved, used in scientific research, or authorized and widely used for medical purposes in a jurisdiction and recognized by that jurisdiction's medical regulators. The bill would also require the Attorney General to defer to the Secretary of Health and Human Services' scientific and medical evaluation when scheduling a drug. The Attorney General could place a drug in a schedule only if that schedule's controls are reasonably tailored to protect public health and safety while preserving access for accepted medical uses.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Steve Cohen Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors