Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice.
Notice of proposed rulemaking.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to designate 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidate (PMK glycidate), including its optical and geometric isomers; 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid (PMK glycidic acid), including its salts, optical and geometric isomers, and salts of isomers; and alpha -phenylacetoacetamide (APAA), including its optical isomers, as list I chemicals under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). PMK glycidate and PMK glycidic acid are used in and are important to the manufacture of the schedule I controlled substance 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other “ecstasy”-type substances. APAA is used in and is important to the manufacture of the schedule II controlled substances amphetamine and methamphetamine. If finalized, this action would subject handlers (manufacturers, distributors, importers, and exporters) of PMK glycidate, PMK glycidic acid, and APAA to the chemical regulatory provisions of the CSA and its implementing regulations. This action does not propose the establishment of a threshold for domestic and international transactions of these chemicals. As such, all transactions involving any of these chemicals, regardless of size, would be regulated. In addition, this action proposes that chemical mixtures containing any of these three chemicals would not be exempt from regulatory requirements at any concentration. Therefore, all transactions of chemical mixtures containing any quantity of PMK glycidate, PMK glycidic acid, or APAA would be regulated.
Electronic comments must be submitted, and written comments must be postmarked, on or before February 19, 2021. Commenters should be aware that the electronic Federal Docket Management System will not accept comments after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day of the comment period.
To ensure proper handling of comments, please reference “Docket No. DEA–542” on all correspondence, including any attachments.
Electronic comments: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) encourages all comments be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, which provides the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Please go to http://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the online instructions at that site for submitting comments. Upon completion of your submission, you will receive a Comment Tracking Number for your comment. Please be aware that submitted comments are not instantaneously available for public view on http://www.regulations.gov/. If you have received a Comment Tracking Number, your comment has been successfully submitted and there is no need to resubmit the same comment.
Paper comments: Paper comments that duplicate the electronic submission are not necessary and are discouraged. Should you wish to mail a paper comment in lieu of an electronic comment, it should be sent via regular or express mail to: Drug Enforcement Administration, Attn: DEA Federal Register Representative/DPW, 8701 Morrissette Drive, Springfield, Virginia 22152.
Terrence L. Boos, Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section, Diversion Control Division, Drug Enforcement Administration; Mailing Address: 8701 Morrissette Drive, Springfield, Virginia 22152; Telephone: (571) 362–3249.
Please note that all comments received are considered part of the public record. They will, unless reasonable cause is given, be made available by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for public inspection online at http://www.regulations.gov. Such information includes personal identifying information (such as name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter. The Freedom of Information Act applies to all comments received. If you want to submit personal identifying information (such as your name, address, etc.) as part of your comment, but do not want it to be made publicly available, you must include the phrase “PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION” in the first paragraph of your comment. You must also place all of the personal identifying information you do not want publicly available in the first paragraph of your comment and identify what information you want redacted.
If you want to submit confidential business information as part of your comment, but do not want it to be made publicly available, you must include the phrase “CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION” in the first paragraph of your comment. You must also prominently identify confidential business information to be redacted within the comment.
Comments containing personal identifying information and confidential business information identified as directed above will generally be made publicly available in redacted form. If a comment has so much confidential business information or personal identifying information that it cannot be effectively redacted, all or part of that comment may not be made publicly available. Comments posted to http://www.regulations.gov may include any personal identifying information (such as name, address, and phone number) included in the text of your electronic submission that is not identified as directed above as confidential.