Committee reviews bill to classify tianeptine as Schedule I amid safety and criminalization debate

Senator Sarah Hansen presented House Bill 21 to the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, asking the panel to classify tianeptine as a Schedule I controlled substance and ban its sale in places such as gas stations and vape shops.

Supporters told the committee they view the drug as a growing public-health threat: the Department of Justice and the Delaware State Police said early action could prevent wider availability, and the Medical Society of Delaware urged the ban citing dependence, withdrawal and documented severe side effects.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Williams, alerted lawmakers after receiving reports from a school in her district that referenced information from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Poison Control Center. Senator Hansen summarized those reports during the presentation and said that Poison Control had received about 15 adverse-exposure reports tied to tianeptine in the Pennsylvania and Delaware Avenue area.

Christy, a Department of Justice witness, told the committee that…