H.R. 9186

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9186 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9186

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to more closely align the Act 
with modern medical knowledge, terminology, and practices, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 8, 2026

Mr. Cohen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to more closely align the Act 
with modern medical knowledge, terminology, and practices, and for 
other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Controlled Substances Act 
Clarification in Sciences Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.

(a) Definitions.--Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 802) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(61) The term `accepted medical use' means the use of a drug or 
other substance--
``(A) in accordance with an approval under the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or licensure under section 351 of 
the Public Health Service Act;
``(B) to conduct scientific research to advance the 
understanding of human biology, develop new therapies, or 
research animal or human models of disease, syndrome, or 
disorder; or
``(C) in accordance with a recognized legitimate medical 
use if--
``(i) a jurisdiction has authorized the drug or 
substance for medical use;
``(ii) the drug or substance is widely used in such 
jurisdiction by health care practitioners; and
``(iii) such legitimate medical use is recognized 
by the entities that regulate the practice of medicine 
in such jurisdiction through evidence-based scientific 
evaluation that employs rigorous and generally accepted 
methodologies.
``(62) The term `dependence liability' means, with respect to a 
drug or other substance that could contribute to a substance use 
disorder, the actual propensity for physical dependence or 
psychological dependence to the drug or substance.
``(63) The term `physical dependence' means, with respect to a drug 
or other substance, a state that develops as a result of physiological 
adaptation in response to repeated, chronic use of the drug or 
substance, manifested by withdrawal signs and symptoms after abrupt 
discontinuation or a significant dose reduction of the drug or 
substance.
``(64) The term `psychological dependence' means, with respect to a 
drug or other substance, a state in which an individual's use of the 
drug or substance is compromised by--
``(A) the rewarding effects of the drug or substance, thus 
increasing the likelihood of chronic use; or
``(B) psychological distress (including craving) that 
occurs in the absence of the drug or substance and contributes 
to compulsive drug seeking, regardless of whether such use is 
indicative of abuse or misuse of the drug or substance.
``(65) The term `lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or 
other substance under medical supervision' means, with respect to a 
drug or other substance, that based on the accepted medical use of the 
drug or substance, a reasonable health care practitioner would 
determine that the potential risk of death or significant and 
irreversible harm to the user would clearly outweigh any medical 
benefit to the user.
``(66) The term `abuse' means, with respect to a drug or other 
substance, the intentional use of the drug or substance in a manner 
that will lead to a substance use disorder.
``(67) The term `potential for abuse' means, with respect to a drug 
or other substance, the relative likelihood that use of the drug or 
substance will result in abuse of the drug or substance.
``(68) The term `misuse' means--
``(A) the use by an individual of a drug or other substance 
that is not intended for human consumption (determined in the 
same manner as such a determination would be made under section 
203); or
``(B) the use by an individual of a drug or other substance 
in a way--
``(i) that was not directed by the individual's 
health care practitioner; or
``(ii) that is not in accordance with the 
instructions for use on the labeling of such drug or 
substance.
``(69) The term `potential benefits to society' means, with respect 
to a drug or other substance, any medical, scientific, or other use of 
the drug or substance that may improve public health or quality of 
life.''.
(b) Clarification of Roles in Scheduling.--Section 201(a) of the 
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 811(a)) is amended by inserting 
before ``Rules of the Attorney General'' the following: ``In carrying 
out paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall (1) defer to the 
Secretary's scientific and medical evaluation of a drug or other 
substance, and (2) add or transfer a drug or other substance to a 
schedule only if such schedule best corresponds to controls reasonably 
tailored to protect public health and safety (including the potential 
for abuse and dependence liability of the drug or substance) while 
preserving access for accepted medical uses, and recognizing the 
potential benefits to society, of the drug or substance.''.
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