Controlled-Substance Status: What Scheduling and Classification Mean
What "scheduling" means for psychedelic and related substances, with the United States federal listings read from the official regulation and why local law can differ.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and a rule that applies in one country, state or city may not apply in another. Nothing here says that any activity is allowed or not allowed where you live.
What "scheduling" is
Many countries sort controlled substances into numbered lists called schedules. A schedule is a legal sorting tool. It tells you how a government treats a substance under its drug-control law. It is not a ranking of how dangerous a substance is, and it is not a verdict on whether the substance helps people in research.Because each country (and in some countries each state) keeps its own lists, the same substance can sit in different categories in different places. Our overview of how law differs by country explains this at a higher level, and how we verify and date legal information explains how this library handles legal statements.
United States federal listings we read
The table below comes from the federal Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 1308), the regulation that lists the schedules, as the electronic version showed on 2026-10-22. The regulation carries cross-reference notes about amendments, so check the current text. Each row names the jurisdiction (United States, federal), the substance, and the activity the schedule governs (control under the Controlled Substances Act listing). The official source is the regulation itself.| Substance | Federal schedule listing read 2026-10-22 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin and psilocyn (psilocin) | Schedule I | [1] |
| LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) | Schedule I | [1] |
| MDMA | Schedule I | [1] |
| Mescaline | Schedule I | [1] |
| DMT (dimethyltryptamine) | Schedule I | [1] |
| 5-MeO-DMT (listed as 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) | Schedule I | [1] |
| Ibogaine | Schedule I | [1] |
| Ketamine (salts and isomers) | Schedule III | [2] |
The same listing for Schedule I names the substance, not every plant or fungus that contains it. We did not read how the federal regulation treats particular mushrooms, cacti or plant preparations, so this page does not state that. See the individual guides for psilocybin, LSD, MDMA and ketamine.
What a listing does not tell you
- It does not tell you whether a state, city or country has a separate program. Oregon, for example, licenses psilocybin services under its own law. [5] See supervised-service frameworks.
- It does not tell you what happens in practice when someone is caught, which differs by place; see decriminalization vs legalization.
- It does not tell you that something found online is legal. Online availability says nothing about legality.
- It does not cover travel across borders; see import, export and travel.
Frequently asked questions
Does Schedule I mean a substance cannot be studied?
No. Schedule I is the strictest federal listing in the regulation we read. [1] The FDA publishes guidance for running clinical trials of psychedelic drugs, so research can proceed under separate rules. [4]
Is a controlled substance the same as an illegal drug?
Not always. Esketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance and also an FDA-approved prescription medicine used under a restricted program. [3] Controlled means the law regulates how it is made, prescribed and handled.
Is the schedule the same in every country?
No. Countries keep their own lists. We have read only the United States federal regulation for this page; for other countries we have not verified the lists here.
Does a state program change the federal listing?
The federal listing we read is in a federal regulation. [1] State programs such as Oregon's are set by state law and state agencies. [5] The state pages we read did not discuss federal law, so this page does not say how the two interact. Talk to a lawyer about your own situation.
Where can I check the current text?
The regulation is in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 1308, on the government's eCFR site. [1]
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
An approved medicine can still be controlled
In the other direction, a Schedule I listing does not mean research is impossible. The FDA has published a final guidance for sponsors designing clinical trials of psychedelic drugs. [4] Research happens under separate rules. See medical approval for what is and is not approved.