Controlled Substances Act for MPJE 2026 | CSA, DEA, Scheduling Guide

Controlled Substances Act (CSA) — What You Must Know

The CSA is the single most tested federal law topic on the MPJE. It establishes the legal framework for manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing controlled substances in the United States. Every pharmacist must understand the scheduling system, prescription requirements for each schedule, and DEA registration and reporting obligations.

Drug Scheduling System

Schedule	Abuse Potential	Medical Use	Key Examples	Refills
Schedule I	Highest	None accepted	Heroin, LSD, peyote, MDMA, marijuana (federal)	Cannot be prescribed
Schedule II	High	Accepted	Oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, methylphenidate, amphetamine	No refills
Schedule III	Moderate	Accepted	Buprenorphine, ketamine, testosterone, anabolic steroids	5 refills in 6 months
Schedule IV	Lower	Accepted	Benzodiazepines, zolpidem, tramadol, carisoprodol	5 refills in 6 months
Schedule V	Lowest	Accepted	Cough preparations with codeine, pregabalin, lacosamide	5 refills in 6 months

Schedule II Prescription Rules — MPJE High Yield

Written or electronic only — oral CII prescriptions allowed ONLY for emergencies (72-hour supply, written Rx must follow within 7 days)
No refills permitted — new prescription required each time
May not be faxed as final Rx (with 3 exceptions: hospice, LTCF, compounded IV/IM/SC/IT)
Partial fills allowed if: pharmacy cannot supply full quantity (balance within 72 hrs), or patient is in LTCF/hospice/terminally ill (partial fills valid up to 60 days)
DEA 222 form required for pharmacy to ORDER Schedule II drugs from distributor
90-day supply — prescriber may write up to 3 separate CII Rxs with earliest fill dates (sequential dating), totaling up to 90-day supply

DEA Forms Quick Reference

DEA Form	Purpose	Key Details
DEA 222	Order Schedule II substances	Triplicate (or electronic equivalent). Purchaser keeps Copy 3, supplier keeps Copy 1, Copy 2 to DEA. POA can sign.
DEA 41	Biennial controlled substance inventory	Every 2 years. CII: exact count. CIII-CV: estimated count (unless opened, then exact). Kept for 2 years.
DEA 106	Report theft or significant loss	Must be filed immediately upon discovery. Also notify local DEA Diversion office.
DEA 224/224a	New registration / renewal	DEA registration valid 3 years. Must be renewed before expiration. Separate registration per location.

CS Record-Keeping Requirements

Schedule II records must be maintained separately from all other records
Schedule III–V records must be readily retrievable — may be filed with non-CS records if marked with a red "C" stamp
Retention period: All CS records must be kept for a minimum of 2 years (some states require longer)
Inventory: Biennial inventory on DEA Form 41 — must be taken every 2 years from the initial date of registration

Take Controlled Substances Quiz (Free) → Schedule II Deep Dive Article

Master Controlled Substances for MPJE

PharmacyExam.com covers every CS topic with hundreds of MPJE-style practice questions.

Explore PharmacyExam →

← Federal Law Hub HIPAA Guide →MPJE Cheat Sheet