Is Benzodiazepines legal in United States?

Legal status

Controlled, and the class spans four schedules. The common prescription benzodiazepines are Schedule IV: alprazolam at 21 CFR 1308.14(c)(2), diazepam at (c)(19), clonazepam at (c)(13), lorazepam at (c)(34), and temazepam, triazolam, midazolam, oxazepam, estazolam, flurazepam, chlordiazepoxide and nimetazepam alongside them. Five designer benzodiazepines are Schedule I: clonazolam, diclazepam, etizolam, flualprazolam and flubromazolam, at 21 CFR 1308.11(e)(1) to (e)(5). This cell states federal law only. Every state has its own controlled substances act and several differ from the federal schedules, so check the law of the state you are in.

Consequences if caught

There is no entry for the class. Each member is listed separately and they do not carry the same penalty. For a Schedule IV member, supply is 21 USC 841(b)(2), up to 5 years. For a Schedule I member, supply falls to 21 USC 841(b)(1)(C) at up to 20 years, rising to not less than twenty years and up to life if death or serious bodily injury results, because none of them appears in the weight tables of section 841(b)(1)(A) or (B). A compound sold as a benzodiazepine that is not on either list may still be reached by the analogue rule at 21 USC 802(32) and 813(a), to the extent intended for human consumption. Simple possession is 21 USC 844(a), up to 1 year and a fine of at least 1,000 dollars on a first offence, with higher figures after a prior conviction. The section excepts a substance 'obtained directly, or pursuant to a valid prescription or order, from a practitioner, while acting in the course of his professional practice'.

If prescribed or medical

Prescription supply through the licensed channel is lawful. 21 USC 844(a) excepts a substance obtained on a valid prescription from a practitioner acting in the course of professional practice, and handling outside that channel is an offence under 21 USC 841 and the registration provisions at 21 USC 822 and 823.

Documentation

Carry any prescribed medicine in its original labelled container with the prescription. Federal law and the law of the state you are entering can differ, so confirm both before travel.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United States’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.