Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Controlled Substances Scheduling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee clears House Bill 29 to floor to update Idaho controlled-substances schedules
Summary
The committee voted to give House Bill 29 a due-pass recommendation. The bill adds multiple synthetic opioids, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, stimulants and anabolic steroid derivatives to Idaho schedules and places the FDA-approved postpartum depression drug zuranolone (Zulresso/Zuranolone) into schedule 4.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 29 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after a presentation by Nikki Chopsky, health professions bureau chief at the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
Chopsky told the committee the Idaho Board of Pharmacy administers the state's Uniform Controlled Substances Act and annually reviews federal scheduling changes because Idaho does not incorporate DEA scheduling by reference. "This bill in accordance with Idaho code 37-2702(a) seeks to update the Idaho Controlled Substances Act with the addition of illicit substances to schedule 1 with no approved medical use," she told the committee.
Chopsky summarized the bill by drug class: it would add 10 synthetic fentanyl-type substances to the opioid schedule 1 sections; seven synthetic cannabinoids to schedule 1 hallucinogens sections; five synthetic benzodiazepines to schedule 1; two synthetic stimulants (commonly called 'bath salts') to schedule 1; and 23 man-made testosterone derivatives (anabolic steroids) to schedule 3. The bill also proposes adding zuranolone (brand name Zuranolone), an FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression, to schedule 4.
Chopsky said the Board of Pharmacy considers factors such as overdoses, abuse potential and use in other countries when recommending scheduling. She told the committee there was no expected fiscal impact to the general fund or the board’s dedicated fund and asked the committee to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Senator Wintrow moved the bill, and the motion carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Ending: House Bill 29 will go to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; the bill’s scheduling changes will allow Idaho to take enforcement action consistent with the new entries if enacted.
