Attorney General Chris Carr made the following statement on House Bill 701. The legislation aims to include drug testing for all forms of opioids, including semi-synthetic and synthetic, for those state employees who are already required by state law to undergo testing. It passed through the House of Representatives and the Senate with respective votes of 159 – 1 and 51 – 0.

“Opioid abuse and misuse is ravaging our state and nation,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We have to continue to combat this issue with an all-in effort. This new law, championed by Representative Kevin Tanner and Senator Ben Watson with input from the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, will help us cut down on abuse and ensure public safety. We are grateful to those who guided this piece of legislation and for the General Assembly’s overwhelming, bipartisan support.”

The following are a few of the most commonly abused opioids that state employees will be tested for under the new legislation:

Oxycodone

Oxymorphone

Hydrocodone

Hydromorphone

HB 701 will update state law to detect the use of these synthetic and semi-synthetic forms of commonly abused drugs when used without a valid prescription or when used as otherwise authorized by state or federal law.

In addition to Representative Tanner and Senator Watson, the Office of the Attorney General would also like to thank the following members of the General Assembly for their support: Representatives Sharon Cooper, Bill Hitchens, Mark Newton and Alan Powell.