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Drugs and Narcotics Agency describes field inspections, investigations and quick case timelines
Summary
The Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency told lawmakers it combines pharmacist expertise with law‑enforcement authority, conducts mostly in‑person inspections, and typically closes investigations in about 90 days; the agency reported 173 open cases and inspected most licensed facilities in the last 24 months.
Michael Carmock, director of the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, told the committee that gDNA’s field agents are both licensed pharmacists and post‑certified peace officers who conduct inspections and criminal investigations. "We are pharmacists, and we are law enforcement," Carmock said, stressing the agency’s hybrid model.
Carmock described gDNA’s small staff (about 18 people total) and a regional field structure in which supervisors oversee special agents responsible for inspection territories. He said the agency aims for in‑person, on‑site inspections (no virtual inspections) and that compounding and sterile compounding inspections are complex and require specialized training.
On workload metrics, Carmock said about 65% of the state’s ~3,800 facilities were inspected in the past 12 months and about 95% in the past 24 months. He told the committee gDNA typically closes investigations in roughly 90 days and that the agency had 173 open investigations at the time the slide deck was prepared.
Carmock emphasized that most investigations involve prescription or patient‑care issues (noncontrolled or 'dangerous' drugs are the largest category) and that many enforcement outcomes are resolved administratively by the board after gDNA investigation. He also said the agency receives minimal federal dollars — mostly asset forfeiture tied to federal seizures — and relies primarily on state funding and licensing fees.
What’s next: gDNA said it will continue prioritizing inspections and education to reduce the need for enforcement, and committee members thanked the agency for its enforcement work and training contributions.
