Committee gives unanimous due pass to annual controlled-substances schedule update (House Bill 473)

The committee unanimously gave a due pass Thursday to House Bill 473, the annual update to Georgia's controlled‑substances schedule that adds several newly identified designer and synthetic drugs.

The measure adds an opioid designer drug, a synthetic 'mushroom' compound, ethylphenidate and a sports‑doping drug to the list of controlled substances, with several other prescription drugs updated or moved as part of the annual review. "This is our annual update for controlled substances and for regular drugs that are just our prescription items," Chairman Stevens told the committee as he introduced the bill.

The bill classifies the first four listed substances as Schedule I — "drugs that are highly addictive and have no medical use," Stevens said during the presentation, noting that ethylphenidate is chemically related to methylphenidate (Ritalin) but "has no medical use" and therefore is treated differently under the schedule.

A motion for a due pass was moved and seconded during the meeting; the committee chair called the question and the measure passed unanimously. No amendments or changes to the text were recorded in the committee discussion.

The scheduling update is presented each year to capture newly synthesized compounds and analogs that prosecutors and enforcement agencies may encounter; the chair described the listing of chemically rearranged variants as a way "they know how to go prosecute somebody if they've created a a bad drug." The committee did not record a roll‑call vote count in the transcript; the chair announced the motion "passes unanimously."