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In the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, controlled drugs are divided into five Schedules based on a balance between their value as medicines and their hazards as drugs of abuse. In simple terms, the Regulations set out what should be done with controlled drugs whereas the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDAct) sets out what should not be done. In broad terms, at least for psychotropic drugs, the Schedules in the Regulations largely correspond to the respective Schedules of the United Nations (UN) 1971 Convention. Controls are placed on the manufacture, prescription, storage and record-keeping of the substances in decreasing order from Schedule 1 to Schedule 5. Drugs in Schedule 1 are often deemed to have no medicinal value and may not be prescribed, although this is not explicitly stated in the legislation. Most Class C drugs are found in Schedule 4 and most Class A drugs are found in Schedules 1 and 2 of the Regulations, but there is otherwise little correlation between the Class of a substance in the MDAct and its Schedule in the Regulations. The restrictive nature of Schedule 1 of the Regulations, and more generally, Schedules I of the UN 1961 and 1971 Conventions, impact on the ability to carry out clinical research with these substances. Those who want to evaluate Schedule 1 substances are faced with an expensive and time-consuming procedure.

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