Long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs; correctional facilities.
Summary
SB1367 amends Virginia law governing controlled substances registrations issued by the Board of Pharmacy. The bill adds a specific authorization allowing the Board to register correctional facilities to maintain a floor stock of long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs used to treat mental illness or substance use disorder. Those drugs must be stored in a restricted area accessible only to persons licensed to administer them, and the facility must keep a perpetual inventory with monthly reconciliation and written explanations for discrepancies.
The bill also fits within a broader framework of Board of Pharmacy registration authority for manufacturers, distributors, practitioners, animal shelters, crisis stabilization facilities, and telemedicine-related entities. It preserves the Board’s ability to require registrations based on public interest, documented need, security, supervision, and recordkeeping, and it continues existing requirements for controlled substances handling, storage, and oversight. In addition to the correctional-facility provision, the bill restates and organizes the Board’s authority over controlled substances registrations and related conditions.
Impact
The bill directly amends § 54.1-3423 of the Code of Virginia. Its main legal effect is to create an express statutory basis for correctional facilities to stock and administer certain long-acting injectable or extended-release prescription drugs for mental health and substance use disorder treatment, subject to Board of Pharmacy registration and inventory controls. It also reinforces the Board’s regulatory authority over controlled substances registrations, including the ability to set rules for storage, security, supervision, and recordkeeping, and it leaves intact existing registration provisions for practitioners, animal shelters, crisis stabilization facilities, and telemedicine entities.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate and House unanimously, and committee votes were also unanimous, indicating strong bipartisan agreement. The lack of recorded opposition suggests the measure was viewed as a targeted public health and corrections policy change rather than a contentious expansion of controlled-substance access.
Contention
No major opposition is reflected in the available record. The only likely policy sensitivities are the controlled-substance and correctional-facility aspects: ensuring secure storage, preventing diversion, and maintaining strict inventory controls while allowing access to treatment medications for incarcerated individuals. Any concern would likely center on balancing treatment access for mental illness and substance use disorder against security and diversion risks, but the bill’s unanimous votes suggest those concerns were addressed or not viewed as significant.
Controlled substances: other; sentencing guidelines for retail sale of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine; modify. Amends sec. 13m, ch. XVII of 1927 PA 175 (MCL 777.13m). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4947'25