Louisiana House approves bill to classify abortion pills as controlled substances
CBSN
Washington — The Louisiana House approved legislation Tuesday that would classify the drugs used in medication abortions as controlled substances, criminalizing possession of the drugs without a prescription.
The bill passed 64 to 29 in the GOP-controlled state House, and if it's signed into law, Louisiana would become the first state to classify misoprostol and mifepristone — the two drugs used in a regimen to terminate early-stage pregnancies — as controlled substances.
The controlled substances designation typically occurs when a drug is considered addictive, such as opioids or depressants. It also enables states to track drugs and create a database of who's receiving them, along with making possession of the medication without a prescription a crime. Under the legislation, pregnant women are exempted from prosecution.
As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci helped lead the U.S. government's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In a wide-ranging interview with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook for "CBS News Sunday Morning," Dr. Fauci reveals he was offered millions of dollars to leave his top spot in government to join major corporations.