---
title: SB 277. Drug Abuse Treatment and Education Programs; definition of drugs to include alcohol and its derivatives; revise
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb277
cite_as: SB 277, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb277
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb277.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb277/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70920
date: 2025-02-27
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb277.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 277
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-26
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Blake Tillery
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB277/2025
upstream_id: 1986024
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- alcohol regulation
- drug treatment programs
- substance abuse law
- Georgia code definitions
---
# SB 277. Drug Abuse Treatment and Education Programs; definition of drugs to include alcohol and its derivatives; revise
## Text
Senate Bill 277
By: Senator Tillery of the 19th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 5 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to drug
abuse treatment and education programs, so as to revise the definition of drugs to include
alcohol and its derivatives; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 5 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to drug abuse
treatment and education programs, is amended in Code Section 26-5-3, relating to
definitions, by revising paragraph (4) as follows:
"(4) 'Drugs' means any substance defined as a drug by federal or Georgia law or any
other chemical substance which may be used in lieu of a drug to obtain similar effects,
with the exception of including alcohol and its derivatives."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would redefine 'drugs' under the state's drug abuse treatment and education law to include alcohol and its derivatives, rather than excluding it.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's drug abuse treatment and education programs law (O.C.G.A. § 26-5-3) currently defines 'drugs' in a way that leaves out alcohol. This bill changes that definition so alcohol and substances derived from it count as drugs for purposes of this chapter of state law.
The change is made in Section 1, which rewrites paragraph (4) of the definitions section. The new language covers any substance defined as a drug under federal or Georgia law, or any other chemical substance used to get similar effects, and now folds alcohol and its derivatives into that definition instead of carving them out. Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. The bill does not list a separate effective date beyond the standard process for bills signed into law.
### What it does
- Rewrites the definition of 'drugs' in Georgia's drug abuse treatment and education law (O.C.G.A. § 26-5-3) to include alcohol and its derivatives.
- Removes the prior exception that kept alcohol out of the legal definition of a drug under this chapter.
- Keeps the existing definition covering substances classified as drugs under federal or Georgia law, or chemicals used to get similar effects.
- Repeals any other state laws that conflict with this new definition.
### Who it affects
This affects Georgia's drug abuse treatment and education programs, including any state or local agencies, treatment providers, or courts that rely on this chapter's definition of 'drugs' when referring people to treatment or education programs, since alcohol would now be classified the same way.
### Why it matters
By classifying alcohol and its derivatives as drugs under this chapter, treatment and education programs that operate under this legal definition could apply their rules, referrals, or requirements to alcohol-related cases in the same way they already do for other controlled substances.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 26-5-3(4), the definitions section of Georgia's drug abuse treatment and education programs law, to revise what counts as a 'drug.'
- The revised definition keeps coverage of substances defined as drugs by federal or Georgia law and chemical substitutes used for similar effects, while adding alcohol and its derivatives instead of excluding them.
- Section 2 repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new definition.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-26)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-27)
- Sponsors: Blake Tillery
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70920
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb277.md?full=1