September 25, 2023

Five Synthetic Benzodiazepine Drugs Deemed Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

DEA's Diversion Control Division

On July 26, 2023, DEA temporarily scheduled five synthetic benzodiazepine substances – etizolam, flualprazolam, clonazolam, flubromazolam, and diclazepam – in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Individuals who handle these substances will now be subject to regulatory controls, as well as to administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances under the CSA. 

The dramatic increase in trafficking and abuse associated with these substances, also known as “designer benzodiazepines,” has become a national public health concern in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, benzodiazepines were involved in 12,499 overdose deaths in the United States between 2019 and 2021.

The temporary scheduling ends July 26, 2025. Read the Federal Register notice for more information: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/26/2023-15748/schedules-of-controlled-substances-temporary-placement-of-etizolam-flualprazolam-clonazolam.