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Drug Abuse and Addiction Research
The Sixth Triennial Report to Congress

Appendix: Commonly Abused Drugs

See latest version online - Commonly Abused Drugs Chart (2002)

Substance	Examples of Proprietary or Street Names	Medical Uses	Route of Administration	DEA Schedule*	Period of Detection
*Stimulants*
Amphetamine	Biphetamine, Dexedrine; Black Beauties, Crosses, Hearts	Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, narcolepsy	Injected, oral, smoked, sniffed	II	1-2 days
Cocaine	Coke, Crack, Flake, Rocks, Snow	Local anesthetic, vasoconstrictor	Injected, smoked, sniffed	II	1-4 days
Methamphetamine	Desoxyn; Crank, Crystal, Glass, Ice, Speed	ADHD, obesity, narcolepsy	Injected, oral, smoked, sniffed	II	1-2 days
Methylphenidate	Ritalin	ADHD, narcolepsy	Injected, oral	II	1-2 days
Nicotine	Habitrol patch, Nicorette gum, Nicotrol spray, Prostep patch; Cigars, Cigarettes, Smokeless tobacco, Snuff, Spit tobacco	Treatment for nicotine dependence	Smoked, sniffed, oral, transdermal	Not Scheduled	1-2 days
*Hallucinogens and Other Compounds*
LSD	Acid, Microdot	None	Oral	I	8 hours
Mescaline	Buttons, Cactus, Mesc, Peyote	None	Oral	I	2-3 days
Phencyclidine & Analogs	PCP; Angel Dust, Boat, Hog, Love Boat	Anesthetic (veterinary)	Injected, oral, smoked	I, II	2-8 days
Psilocybin	Magic Mushroom, Purple Passion, Shrooms	None	Oral	I	8 hours
Amphetamine variants	DOB, DOM, MDA, MDMA; Adam, Ecstasy, STP, XTC	None	Oral	I	1-2 days
Marijuana	Blunt, Grass, Herb, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Smoke, Weed	None	Oral, smoked	I	1 day - 5 weeks
Hashish	Hash	None	Oral, smoked	I	1 day - 5 weeks
Tetrahydrocannabinol	Marinol, THC	Antiemetic	Oral, smoked	I, II	1 day - 5 weeks
Anabolic Steroids	Testosterone (T/E ratio), Stanazolol, Nandrolene	Hormone Replacement Therapy	Oral, injected	III	Oral: up to 3 weeks (for testosterone and others); Injected: up to 3 months (Nandrolene up to 9 months)
*Opioids and Morphine Derivatives*
Codeine	Tylenol w/codeine, Robitussin A-C, Empirin w/codeine, Fiorinal w/codeine	Analgesic, antitussive	Injected, oral	II, III, IV	1-2 days
Heroin	Diacetylmorphine; Horse, Smack	None	Injected, smoked, sniffed	I	1-2 days
Methadone	Amidone, Dolophine, Methadose	Analgesic, treatment for opiate dependence	Injected, oral	II	1 day - 1 week
Morphine	Roxanol, Duramorph	Analgesic	Injected, oral, smoked	II, III	1-2 days
Opium	Laudanum, Paregoric; Dover's Powder	Analgesic, antidiarrheal	Oral, smoked	II, III, V	1-2 days
*Depressants*
Alcohol	Beer, Wine, Liquor	Antidote for methanol poisoning	Oral	Not Scheduled	6-10 hours
Barbiturates	Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, Phenobarbital; Barbs	Anesthetic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative	Injected, oral	II, III, IV	2-10 days
Benzodiazepines	Ativan, Halcion, Librium, Rohypnol, Valium; Roofies, Tranks, Xanax	Antianxiety, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative	Injected, oral	IV	1-6 weeks
Methaqualone	Quaalude, Ludes	None	Oral	I	2 weeks

* Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Schedule I and II drugs have a high potential for abuse. They require greater storage security and have a quota on manufacture among other restrictions. Schedule I drugs are available for research only and have no approved medical use. Schedule II drugs are available only through prescription, cannot have refills and require a form for ordering. Schedule III and IV drugs are available with prescription, may have 5 refills in 6 months and may be ordered orally. Most Schedule V drugs are available over the counter.

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