DEA Announces Hearing Regarding Placement of Carisoprodol Into Schedule IV

April 15, 2010 11:19 am Topics: Controlled substances

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced a hearing regarding the proposed placement of carisoprodol in schedule IV of the Controlled Substances Act, a rule that was proposed on November 17, 2009. The hearing will take place May 4, 2010, in Arlington, VA, and individuals wishing to participate in the hearing must submit written notice before April 26, 2010. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was originally published on November 17, 2009, and can be accessed on the Federal Register Web site by selecting volume 74 and using the search term "page 59108" in quotation marks. DEA received 18 comments in response to the November 2009 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, one of which questioned the evidence supporting the proposed scheduling of carisoprodol, suggested that the impact of scheduling on patient care had not been considered adequately, and requested a hearing. Other commentators – which included health care providers, state regulatory agencies, and law enforcement entities, among others – supported the proposed scheduling due to the current issues with diversion, abuse, and misuse of and addiction to carisoprodol.