GHB

The legacy row is substantively correct that GHB became a federal controlled substance in 2000, but it is corrected to the canonical prohibited status and narrowed to the current federal distinction: non-approved GHB is Schedule I, while an FDA-approved GHB-containing drug product is Schedule III and prescription-only. The Schedule III classification is product-specific and does not make bulk, illicit or otherwise unauthorized GHB lawful. Importantly, 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) expressly includes GHB even when scheduled as an approved drug product in its GHB penalty clause, so the Schedule III medical exception must not be described as eliminating criminal controls. Section 844(a)'s prescription/authorization language applies to simple possession. The penalty descriptions are statutory federal maximums/minimums and conditional enhancements, not a sentence prediction. State schedules and state penalties were not assessed.

The legacy row is substantively supported as to GHB becoming controlled in 2003, but the current legal position must replace any implication that the 2003 Class C status remains current: GHB was rescheduled from MDR Schedule 4 to Schedule 2 on 7 January 2015 and reclassified from MDA Class C to Class B on 13 April 2022. The current status is therefore Class B under MDA Schedule 2 Part II and Schedule 2 under MDR. Canonical status is normalized to prohibited for ordinary unauthorized possession, production, supply and possession with intent to supply; Schedule 2 healthcare access and the Act's licensing/regulatory exceptions mean this is not a claim that every handling route is absolutely unlawful. The original late-1990s 'legal grey area' narrative was not independently established by the inspected official sources and is not relied upon. Penalties quoted are statutory maxima, not sentencing outcomes; actual charges and sentences depend on the conduct, mode of trial and facts.