approved medications; scheduling; prescription authority

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms or potential conflicts with federal regulations.

Medications Scheduling and Prescription Authority

This bill aligns Arizona's drug scheduling laws with federal regulations, ensuring that medications approved by the FDA and scheduled or rescheduled by the DEA are given the same schedule under Arizona law.

What This Bill Does

• Specifies that any compound, mixture, or preparation approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and scheduled or rescheduled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is assigned the identical schedule under Arizona law.
• Allows medications scheduled or rescheduled to a schedule other than Schedule I by the DEA to be prescribed in Arizona.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who use medications that are controlled substances under federal law.
• Doctors and pharmacists who prescribe or dispense these medications in Arizona.

Terms To Know

Controlled Substance

A drug or other substance whose manufacture, possession, distribution, importation, exportation, or use is regulated by the government because it can be abused or cause harm.

Schedule I

The most restrictive category of controlled substances under federal law, which includes drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use in treatment.

Limits and Unknowns

• It does not specify how the bill will be enforced or what happens if there is a conflict between Arizona's laws and federal regulations.
• The bill does not address medications that are rescheduled to Schedule I by the DEA, which cannot be prescribed in Arizona.

Official Summary Text

SB1188 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1188

approved medications;
scheduling; prescription authority

Purpose

Aligns Arizona
controlled substance schedules with federal scheduling by specifying that any
compound, mixture or preparation approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration

(FDA) and scheduled or rescheduled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) is assigned the same schedule under Arizona law and may be prescribed if
not listed as a Schedule I substance.

Background

The federal
Controlled Substances Act (CSA) classifies regulated substances into one of
five schedules based on a substance�s medical use, potential for abuse and risk
of dependence. Under federal law, substances approved by the FDA and scheduled
or rescheduled through the DEA are assigned a federal schedule pursuant to the
CSA (
U.S.
DEA
; 21 U.S.C. ��
355

and
811
).

Current statute
directs the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy (Board) to adopt the DEA's federal
schedules under Board rule and to amend the rules as necessary to reflect any
federal drug schedule changes (A.R.S. ��
36-2512
,

36-2513
,

36-2514
,

36-2515

and
36-2516
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Specifies
that, regardless of any other statutes relating to controlled substances and
without any further action by the Board:

a)

any compound, mixture or preparation that is approved by the FDA and
scheduled or rescheduled by the DEA is assigned the identical schedule under
Arizona law; and

b)

any
compound, mixture or preparation that is approved by the FDA and scheduled or
rescheduled by the DEA to a schedule other than Schedule I of the CSA is a
controlled substance under Arizona law and may be prescribed.

2.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

January 26, 2026

MM/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1188 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

approved medications;
scheduling; prescription authority

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1188

AN
ACT

Amending title 36, chapter 27, article 2,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-2517.03; relating to the
Arizona state board of pharmacy.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 36, chapter 27, article 2,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-2517.03, to read:

START_STATUTE
36-2517.03.

United States food and drug administration; approved medications;
scheduling; prescription authority

Notwithstanding any other provision of this
chapter to the contrary, without any further action by the board:

1. Any compound, mixture or
preparation that is approved by the United States food and drug administration
and that is scheduled or rescheduled by the United States drug enforcement
administration is assigned the identical schedule under this chapter.

2. Any compound, mixture or
preparation that is approved by the United States food and drug administration
and that is scheduled or rescheduled by the United States drug enforcement
administration to a schedule other than schedule I of the controlled substances
act (P.L. 91-513; 84 Stat. 1242; 21 United States Code sections 801
through 904) is A controlled substance for the purposes of this chapter and may
be prescribed in this state.
END_STATUTE