NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7501
SPONSOR: Braunstein TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to adding tianeptine
sodium to schedule II of controlled substances
PURPOSE:
Adds tianeptine sodium to the list of schedule II of controlled
substances
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Subdivision (e) of schedule II of Section 3306 of the Public
Health Law is amended by adding anew paragraph 5.
Section 2: sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Tianeptine sodium is an antidepressant that has not been approved by the
United States Food and Drug Administration. It has also not been
approved for medical use in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
However, it is still available for purchase online and is marketed as a
supplement or research chemical. Tianeptine sodium is often abused in
high doses to simulate opioid like highs and can lead to addiction
coupled with withdrawal symptoms.
According to the Associated Press, Michigan became the first state to
ban tianeptine sodium "after a spate of gruesome overdoses related to
tianeptine sodium scoured the Midland and Saginaw area in 2017." Addi-
tionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidi-
ty and Mortality Weekly Report in August, 2018, reported there were 207
poison control center calls related to tianeptine sodium from 20142018,
compared to only 11 calls in the previous 14 years.
The Associated Press reported that a substance abuse recovery coach
testified before the Michigan State Senate about how her "addiction to
tianeptine sodium affected her while weaning herself off heroin aprocess
she said was far less horrific than tianeptine withdrawal. I could not
get out of bed, go to work, have a normal functioning day without
(tianeptine sodium) in my life. I am convinced that (it) is the next
epidemic."
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Senate
2020 - S8023, Referred to Health
2021-2022- S1776, Referred to Health Assembly
2020- A7750, Referred to Health
2021-2022- A344, Referred to Health
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall become
law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7501
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 28, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BRAUNSTEIN -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to adding tianeptine
sodium to schedule II of controlled substances
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (e) of schedule II of section 3306 of the
2 public health law is amended by adding a new paragraph 5 to read as
3 follows:
4 (5) Tianeptine sodium.
5 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
6 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06977-01-5
