ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors outline how they can legislate for tomorrow through the use of class definitions and pharmacophore principles. Pharmacophore-based legislation provides context to the issue and guidance to the question and determination of "structural similarity." New chemical entities with variation to known pharmacophores are designed and synthesized as part of the legal drug discovery process. The policies enacted concerning synthetic designer drugs were introduced in an attempt to protect society from the toxicological effects of designer drugs. Federal and state laws have varied greatly using individual naming and/or class definition models. The advent of the designer drug craze has required laws at the state level to move faster than at the federal level to control substances. To address this situation, states have developed a variety of methods to make compounds illegal. Specific committees have also been created, such as the Controlled Substances Board in Wisconsin, to advise the appropriate legislating body on what actions to take.
