HB 923: Pharmacies; furnish patients with written informational material when dispensing certain prescription drugs; require

Georgia pharmacies currently have no statewide requirement to warn patients about the dangers of leftover prescription drugs or to offer disposal options. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's pharmacy law requiring pharmacies that dispense Schedule II controlled substances, and any other drugs the state pharmacy board designates, to give patients written material explaining the risks of improperly disposing of unused, unwanted, or expired medication, including accidental ingestion by children, environmental harm, and misuse. Pharmacies would also have to make available, either for purchase or free, at least one way for patients to dispose of leftover drugs at home, such as a deactivation product or a secured collection box. The bill sets technical standards for these disposal options, including compliance with federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Environmental Protection Agency rules. These requirements would apply to every prescription fill, whether it is a new order, a renewal, or a refill, and regardless of whether the customer is new or returning.

• Requires pharmacies dispensing Schedule II controlled substances (and other drugs the state pharmacy board names) to give patients written material on the dangers of improperly disposed leftover drugs.
• Requires pharmacists or their designees to answer patient questions about the disposal information they receive.
• Requires pharmacies to offer at least one home disposal method, either a deactivation product or a secured collection box, for sale or at no cost.
• Sets technical standards for deactivation products, requiring them to neutralize the drug's active ingredients and be nontoxic and environmentally safe.
• Requires secured collection boxes and commercial collection programs to follow federal Drug Enforcement Administration disposal regulations and Environmental Protection Agency waste rules.
• Applies the requirements to every prescription pickup, whether it is a new order, renewal, or refill, for new or returning customers.

Georgia pharmacies and pharmacists, who must provide new written warnings and disposal options; patients receiving Schedule II or board-designated prescription drugs; manufacturers and suppliers of drug deactivation products and medication collection boxes; and the state pharmacy board, which can expand the list of covered drugs.

Patients picking up certain prescriptions would receive clearer information about the risks of keeping unused medication at home, such as accidental poisoning or diversion, and would have an easier, built-in way to dispose of it safely, rather than relying on separate take-back events or programs.

• New Code Section 26-4-120(a) requires written informational material at the point of dispensing certain drugs, describing risks like theft, accidental ingestion, environmental harm, and diversion.
• Section 26-4-120(a)(2) requires pharmacies to make at least one disposal method, a nonprescription in-home solution or a secured collection receptacle, available for purchase or free.
• Section 26-4-120(b)(1) sets standards for in-home disposal products, requiring them to alter the drug's physical form and render active ingredients unusable.
• Section 26-4-120(b)(2)-(4) requires secured collection boxes and commercial collection programs to comply with DEA regulations (21 C.F.R. Part 1317) and federal hazardous waste incineration rules.
• Section 26-4-120(c) clarifies the requirements apply to initial, renewal, and refill orders regardless of whether the customer is new or returning.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-04House Hopper (House)

• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)Primary sponsor
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)
• Jordan Ridley (R, HD-022)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)

• prescription drug disposal
• pharmacy regulation
• opioid safety
• public health
• drug take-back programs