Which statement is true about Schedule IV drugs?

• A. They have a high potential for abuse.
• B. They have no accepted medical use.
• C. They have a low potential for abuse relative to Schedule III and currently have accepted medical use.
• D. They are not regulated.

Answer: (C)

Schedule IV drugs are defined by their lower potential for abuse relative to Schedule III while still having an accepted medical use. The U.S. scheduling system ranks substances based on abuse potential, medical usefulness, and safety. Schedule IV sits below Schedule III in risk, but these drugs are legitimately used in medicine, so they’re regulated to prevent misuse rather than being unregulated or without medical value. An example is certain benzodiazepines like diazepam, which are controlled but used medically with safeguards. The other statements don’t fit because a high abuse potential would place a drug in a higher schedule, no accepted medical use is a hallmark of Schedule I, and all scheduled substances are regulated.