The Navy ratchets up its war on drugs May 1, with screening of urinalysis samples for two families of drugs �'' benzodiazepines and hydrocodones �'' that include commonly abused prescription medicines such as Valium, Xanax and Vicodin.

Navy officials announced the changes Friday in NavAdmin message 130/12.

"Sailors whose urinalysis samples are identified positive for controlled substances for which they do not have a valid prescription recorded in their medical record may be considered in violation of the [Uniform Code of Military Justice] for drug misuse [and] abuse," the message said.

The Navy considers prescription drugs to be misused when they are used beyond their prescribed dates in or in higher doses than prescribed. It's also forbidden to use someone else's prescription.

Examples of benzodiazepines are drugs sold under the names Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril or Halcion. These drugs are normally used to treat anxiety and are often used to treat people going through alcohol withdrawal.

Hydrocodone is the generic name for narcotic painkillers such as Vicodin, Norco, Lortab and about 30 other brands. It's highly addictive.

The message reminded sailors to make sure any prescription drugs are properly documented in their medical record to avoid problems if they test positive for any of the drugs in the new screening procedures.

The message also asked sailors who are abusing these drugs to self-refer for medical treatment, but didn't say whether there could be legal or administrative consequences if they do.