21 U.S.C. § 801a : US Code - Section 801A: Congressional findings and declarations: psychotropic substances

Search 21 U.S.C. § 801a : US Code - Section 801A: Congressional findings and declarations: psychotropic substances

The Congress makes the following findings and declarations:
(1) The Congress has long recognized the danger involved in the
manufacture, distribution, and use of certain psychotropic
substances for nonscientific and nonmedical purposes, and has
provided strong and effective legislation to control illicit
trafficking and to regulate legitimate uses of psychotropic
substances in this country. Abuse of psychotropic substances has
become a phenomenon common to many countries, however, and is not
confined to national borders. It is, therefore, essential that
the United States cooperate with other nations in establishing
effective controls over international traffic in such substances.
(2) The United States has joined with other countries in
executing an international treaty, entitled the Convention on
Psychotropic Substances and signed at Vienna, Austria, on
February 21, 1971, which is designed to establish suitable
controls over the manufacture, distribution, transfer, and use of
certain psychotropic substances. The Convention is not self-
executing, and the obligations of the United States thereunder
may only be performed pursuant to appropriate legislation. It is
the intent of the Congress that the amendments made by this Act,
together with existing law, will enable the United States to meet
all of its obligations under the Convention and that no further
legislation will be necessary for that purpose.
(3) In implementing the Convention on Psychotropic Substances,
the Congress intends that, consistent with the obligations of the
United States under the Convention, control of psychotropic
substances in the United States should be accomplished within the
framework of the procedures and criteria for classification of
substances provided in the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention
and Control Act of 1970 [21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.]. This will insure
that (A) the availability of psychotropic substances to
manufacturers, distributors, dispensers, and researchers for
useful and legitimate medical and scientific purposes will not be
unduly restricted; (B) nothing in the Convention will interfere
with bona fide research activities; and (C) nothing in the
Convention will interfere with ethical medical practice in this
country as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services on the basis of a consensus of the views of the American
medical and scientific community.