4-FA placed in Schedule I

The Drug Enforcement Administration published a final rule on January 15, 2026, placing 4-fluoroamphetamine (4-FA) in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, effective February 17, 2026.

The rule covers 4-FA and its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers [1]. Until the effective date, 4-FA remains unscheduled under the CSA [1]. From February 17, 2026, anyone who handles or wants to handle 4-FA must register with DEA [1], retail sales to the public are not permitted under a Schedule I listing [1], and possession of any unauthorized quantity is unlawful and subject to prosecution [1]. Anyone holding 4-FA who does not intend to register must surrender or transfer all of it before the effective date [1]. Schedule I security requirements apply from that date onward [1]. The rule adds 4-FA to the list of controlled stimulant substances at 21 CFR 1308.11(f) [1]. Academic research is not barred outright, but researchers need DEA permission to work with it once the scheduling takes effect [1].

DEA describes 4-FA as a central nervous system stimulant [1] structurally and pharmacologically similar to the Schedule II stimulants amphetamine and methamphetamine and to the Schedule I substance MDMA [1]. The agency found the substance has a high potential for abuse comparable to other Schedule I and II substances [1], no currently accepted medical use in the United States [1], no approved New Drug Applications [1], and no accepted safety for use under medical supervision [1], after applying its five-part and two-part tests for accepted medical use [1].

The scheduling follows a notice of proposed rulemaking DEA published on June 3, 2025 [1], which set a July 3, 2025 deadline for hearing requests and comments [1]. No one requested a hearing [1]. DEA received nine comments: two in support, five opposed, and two that took no position [1]. Comments included assertions that 4-FA is already controlled under Schedule II via the Controlled Substances Analogue Act [1], that scheduling would hamper research [1], and that the substance could have therapeutic use for PTSD and depression [1]. The underlying record includes an HHS scientific and medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation sent to DEA in March 2021 [1] and DEA's own eight-factor analysis [1]; DEA concluded Schedule I placement was warranted [1]. DEA also cites a 2018 vote by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to place 4-FA under the 1971 Convention [1] and the resulting US obligation to control it [1], acting under the permanent scheduling procedures at 21 U.S.C. 811(a) and (b) [1].

The rule was signed by DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole on January 8, 2026 [1] and published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026 [1]. It takes effect on February 17, 2026.

References

1. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of 4-Fluoroamphetamine in Schedule I — Federal Register