Opinion ID: 2098650
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Exceptions Relating to the Legal Status of Vicodin

Text: In Exception No. 8, Marcalus takes exception to the hearing judge's failure to find that Vicodin is not listed on the schedules of controlled dangerous substances. The hearing judge found, by clear and convincing evidence, that Vicodin is the brand name for a medication that principally contains hydrocodone, a synthetic opiate analgesic also known as dihydrocodeinone[,] and that [d]rugs containing hyrdrocodone mixed with acetaminophen are on Schedule [III] under the [MCDSA]. Schedule III of the MCDSA, codified at CL Section 5-404(e)(1), reads as follows: Substances listed in Schedule III include a material, compound, mixture, or preparation that contains limited quantities of any of these narcotic drugs or their salts:    (iv) not more than 300 milligrams of dihydrocodeinone per 100 milliliters or not more than 15 milligrams per dosage unit, with one or more active, nonnarcotic ingredients in recognized therapeutic amounts[.] At the hearing below, Caplan testified that all [Vicodin contains] some amount of Hydrocodone, the narcotic analgesic, ranging from 5 to 10 mg per tablet. Caplan further testified that all Vicodin contains either acetaminophen or another non-narcotic analgesic. This definition of Vicodin fits within the Schedule III parameters quoted above, and adequately supports the hearing judge's findings. Marcalus did not demonstrate that the hearing judge's findings were in error, and Exception No. 8 is therefore overruled.