The Controlled Substances Act was passed by Congress 50 years ago. It provides a way to classify drugs based on their medical use, potential for abuse and safety concerns. Drugs are placed in schedules ranging from one to five, with schedule one drugs being the most dangerous and with no safe medical use. Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law recently held a conference titled “Controlled Substances Act at 50 Years,” which provided insight on how the act has helped shape modern American drug laws and policies and what the future might hold. We’ll hear more from ASU law professor Valena Beety, who spearheaded the event, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, and associate ASU criminal justice professor Jesenia Pizarro-Terrill.
