HB 473: Controlled substances; Schedule I; provide certain provisions

Georgia law keeps a running list of controlled substances (drugs regulated because of abuse potential) and a separate list of dangerous drugs (medications that legally require a prescription). Both lists need periodic updates as new substances appear on the illegal drug market or new medicines get approved. This bill amends Georgia's controlled substances law (O.C.G.A. § 16-13-25) to correct a chemical name, reclassify one substance from a placeholder listing to a named substance, and add two new synthetic substances, including a chemical group linked to synthetic drugs. It also amends the dangerous drug law (O.C.G.A. § 16-13-71) by adding roughly 60 newly named prescription drugs and biologics, plus one allergen powder product, to the list of medications requiring a prescription. The bill does not change penalties or enforcement procedures; it only updates the substances covered by existing rules. It would take effect immediately once signed by the Governor, or automatically become law without a signature.

• Corrects the chemical name of a Schedule I substance from a general 'methyl' compound to the specific compound '2-methyl-AP-237.'
• Replaces a placeholder ('Reserved') Schedule I listing with the named substance Acetylpsilocin, a hallucinogenic compound.
• Adds Ethylphenidate and a tetrahydrothiophene chemical group as newly regulated Schedule I controlled substances.
• Adds roughly 60 newly named prescription drugs, biologics, and vaccines (such as Resmetirom, Ensifentrine, and a smallpox/mpox vaccine) to Georgia's dangerous drug list.
• Adds a peanut allergen powder product to the dangerous drug list, meaning it would require a prescription under Georgia law.

Pharmacists, physicians, and drug manufacturers who must classify and dispense the newly listed medications correctly; law enforcement and prosecutors handling cases involving the newly named Schedule I substances; and patients who rely on the newly listed prescription drugs and vaccines.

Keeping these lists current means new synthetic drugs can be prosecuted as controlled substances and new medications are properly classified as requiring a prescription, affecting how pharmacies dispense them and how law enforcement handles emerging street drugs.

• Section 1 corrects a Schedule I chemical name in O.C.G.A. § 16-13-25 from 'Methyl' to '2-methyl-AP-237.'
• Section 2 replaces a 'Reserved' placeholder with the named substance Acetylpsilocin under Schedule I.
• Section 3 adds Ethylphenidate as a new Schedule I substance.
• Section 4 adds the tetrahydrothiophene group to the chemical classes covered under Schedule I.
• Section 5 adds about 60 newly approved prescription drugs and biologic products to the dangerous drug list in O.C.G.A. § 16-13-71.
• Section 6 adds a peanut allergen powder product to the dangerous drug list.
• Section 7 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2025-05-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-01Act 45
3. 2025-05-01House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-27Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-13Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-11Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)Primary sponsor
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-1)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 3, 2025

   170 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 6 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #135

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #303

• controlled substances
• drug scheduling
• prescription drug regulation
• Georgia drug law