ChemicallyEnhanced
Bluelighter
DHC itself is a controlled drug, it's just very loosely controlled in practice. Under the Medicines Act DHC itself is schedule 2. However depending on the preparation it is schedule 5. Schedule 5 is the lowest level and basically just means uncontrolled POM. Basically schedule 5 means a controlled drug in a preparation which has a low enough dosage that it is treated like it is uncontrolled. This is why for instance codeine linctus 15mg/5ml can be purchased OTC even though codeine is controlled. It is also why 30mg DHC tablets are effectively uncontrolled. There actually are 120mg DHC tablets, but those are controlled due to the higher dose.
Fun fact: Oramorph 10mg/5ml is falls under schedule 5 so is actually an uncontrolled POM under the Medicines Act. I shit you not. Oramorph Concentrated Solution 20mg/1ml is controlled as schedule 2. But the regular Oramorph 10mg/5ml they hand out is somehow not a controlled drug because that's classed as a low enough dose to be exempt from all CD measures. Madness innit.
In case anyone doesn't believe me here it is from the NHS themselves (PDF link):
The way the pharma laws work in this country is bloody confusing, just goes to show how little sense drug laws really make eh?
But yeah I do think DHC remains somewhat of a "hidden gem." It is treated as if it is just one up from codeine and weaker than tramadol. That's crazy to me. DHC is very euphoric.
Tramadol is actually the same strength as codeine, and DHC is double the strength of either. On the opioid scale, Tramadol is a 0.1 whereas DHC is double at 0.2, although a lot of people argue DHC is more of a 0.25.