Oxycodone
Legal Status
U.S. FEDERAL LAW #
Caution : All legal information should be verified through other sources. [see below]
U.S. FEDERAL LEGAL SUMMARY | |
Oxycodone | |
REGULATED | Yes |
STATUS | Scheduled |
SCHEDULE | Schedule II |
CLASSIFICATION | Opiate |
Oxycodone is Schedule II in the United States. This means it is illegal to sell without a DEA license and illegal to buy or possess without a license or prescription.
After high-dose oxycodone tablets as OxyContin were approved in 2005, the FDA revoked its approval of the original sustained-release formulation in 2010 because of the record of unapproved use. A re-engineered OxyContin product was released to try to make it harder to snort or inject and in April 2013, the FDA approved a newer formulation that is even harder to snort or inject. See http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm348252.htm.
After high-dose oxycodone tablets as OxyContin were approved in 2005, the FDA revoked its approval of the original sustained-release formulation in 2010 because of the record of unapproved use. A re-engineered OxyContin product was released to try to make it harder to snort or inject and in April 2013, the FDA approved a newer formulation that is even harder to snort or inject. See http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm348252.htm.
INTERNATIONAL LAW #
Australia #
Oxycodone is a controlled drug in Australia and prescriptions must be recent (6? 12? months) to authorize current possession. (unconfirmed) (thanks JL)
Canada #
Oxycodone is schedule I in Canada. (Note: Canadian schedules are very different than U.S. schedules)
Germany #
Oxycodone is BTM Anlage 3 in Germany making it illegal to possess without a BTM prescription. (unconfirmed) (thanks PM)
U.K. #
Oxycodone is Schedule II/Class A in the U.K., making it illegal to buy or possess without a prescription.
If you have information about the legal status of this substance in any other country, please let us know.
CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #
Erowid legal information is a summary of data gathered from site visitors, government documents, websites, and other resources. We are not lawyers and can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided here. We do our best to keep this information correct and up-to-date, but laws are complex and constantly changing. Laws may also vary from one jurisdiction to another (county, state, country, etc)...this list is not comprehensive.
RELATED RESOURCES #
MEDIA COVERAGE #
Rant: Cruel and Unusual: 25 years for taking own pain meds, Dec 2006, huffingtonpost.com
Followup to "Cruel and Unusual" story, Nov 2007, NACDL