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.
