ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers declined to tighten regulations for clinics that administer Ketamine and other drugs used for psychedelic therapy, but the debate is not over yet.
The 73-88 vote against House Bill 717 on the House floor Tuesday was a rejection of a request by the Georgia Composite Medical Board to require that only specially trained physicians be allowed to have majority ownership of such clinics.
“Ketamine is a very, very dangerous drug. It is FDA-approved only to use as an anesthetic,” said Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, who introduced the bill.
In addition to ensuring safe use of Ketamine, said Cooper, a licensed nurse, her bill would prepare Georgia for the future, “because there are more psychedelic drugs coming that are under study now that are even more dangerous. How about Ecstasy? Or magic mushrooms?”
Two medical doctors who serve in the House also backed the measure.
Rep. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, an anesthesiologist who said she has administered Ketamine, said the legislation was needed to increase safety.
So did Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, an emergency physician.
“If your hip’s out of joint, if your child has a bad facial laceration, this is a great medicine,” he said, adding that he and Au were probably the only two representatives in the House “who’ve seen people stop breathing because of this medicine … and know how serious a drug this is.”
Critics saw HB 717 as an attempt by doctors to corner the market.
Rep. Lauren McDonald III, R-Cumming, said he supports regulating these clinics. “But House Bill 717 simply does not regulate clinics. It restructures ownership and clinical authority in a way that prioritizes title over training and control over competency,” he said, adding that the legislation would reduce growth in the sector and public access to such clinics.
Cooper could offer nothing when another lawmaker asked if she had data showing majority physician ownership was safer.
After the measure failed, a lawmaker motioned to reconsider, and Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, announced another vote on HB 717 would occur when the House meets again Wednesday.
In addition to the physician ownership mandate, the measure would require the Georgia Composite Medical Board to establish rules and regulations for safe clinic operations.