DEA Final Rule: Placement of 3-MeO-PCP in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a final rule permanently placing 3-methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP), a synthetic dissociative drug chemically related to phencyclidine (PCP), into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This classification applies to the substance itself as well as all its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers. Schedule I is the most restrictive category under the CSA, reserved for substances with no currently accepted medical use, a high potential for abuse, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. This placement brings 3-MeO-PCP under the full weight of federal drug control law. The action is also partly motivated by the United States' treaty obligations under the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which requires member states to control substances placed on its schedules. Any person who manufactures, distributes, imports, exports, possesses, researches, or otherwise handles 3-MeO-PCP is now subject to the administrative, civil, and criminal penalties applicable to Schedule I controlled substances under federal law.
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Key Changes
- 3-MeO-PCP (1-(1-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexyl)piperidine) permanently placed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act effective upon rule issuance on March 23, 2026
- Scheduling covers all salts, isomers, and salts of isomers of 3-MeO-PCP, closing loopholes for chemically equivalent variants
- All persons handling 3-MeO-PCP — including manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, researchers, and possessors — are now subject to Schedule I regulatory controls
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