Along with the prosperity of society and the advent of the information age, drug abuse has become a serious problem all over the world. The variety of abused drugs has increased, and the use pattern is also changing over time. To prevent controlled drugs for medicine and research from being abused, the regulations enacted in the Law of Pharmaceutical Affairs and the Law for the Control of Narcotics are no longer adequate. Controlled drugs are now defined as addictive narcotics, psychotropic drugs and other drugs for which stronger control is deemed necessary. These drugs are divided into 4 schedules according to whether they are habit forming, and the extent to which they lead to dependence, abuse and social hazards. These schedules and each instance of a controlled drug are reviewed by the " Controlled Drugs Review Committee " , and then submitted for approval and promulgation by the Executive Yuan. Since the control of drug abuse is embodied in inspection and management, prevention and public education, toxicity evaluation and certification of testing laboratories, the laws and management systems of other countries and also those of the United Nations were reviewed. The local social environment and needs were also considered before any new laws were enacted. The " Statute for the Control of Controlled Drugs " and " Statute for the Organization of the National Bureau of Controlled Drugs, Department of Health, the Executive Yuan " were passed by the Legislative Yuan and promulgated by the President of the State on June 2, 1999.