HB 2291 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

opioids; containers; labeling; requirements; repeal

HB 2291 amends Arizona law to require electronic prescriptions for schedule II opioid medications, effective January 1, 2020. This change directly affects pharmacies, prescribers, and patients receiving opioid prescriptions by replacing written or verbal orders with electronic systems for these specific drugs. The bill also clarifies recordkeeping rules, requiring pharmacies to maintain schedule II opioid prescriptions in separate files or mark them with a red "C" for easy retrieval, and updates emergency dispensing procedures. It maintains existing requirements for other controlled substances while adding the electronic prescription mandate specifically for opioids. The law was signed into effect in April 2025.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Signed Apr 7, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Engrossed Version → Chaptered Version · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill formalizes the transition of HB 2291 into law by adding chapter number and approval dates, while retaining the core substance of the original House Engrossed version. The substantive policy content regarding controlled substance prescription requirements, electronic prescribing mandates, and dispensing rules remains unchanged from the House version.

TECHNICAL

Added chapter number (Chapter 45) and official approval dates (April 7, 2025) to finalize the bill as law.

Inserted standard legislative formatting elements including state name, legislature session information, and act title.

Reorganized text layout and spacing while preserving all substantive provisions regarding opioid prescribing, electronic prescribing requirements, and controlled substance dispensing rules.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version · 9 edits · Apr 1, 2025

MAJOR

The bill was formatted and reorganized from an introduced version to a house engrossed version, with significant additions of new subsections (F through S) that expand electronic prescribing requirements, create exceptions for specific patient populations like hospice and veterans, and clarify rules for emergency dispensing and labeling. The core substance of the controlled substance prescription rules remains largely intact, but the engrossed version includes more detailed operational guidance and additional exemptions that were not present in the original introduced text.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include more detailed provisions for electronic prescribing, emergency situations, and specific patient populations such as hospice patients and veterans, while also adding new requirements for labeling and recordkeeping.

REQUIREMENT

New subsections F through G establish specific rules for faxing prescriptions for schedule II controlled substances, including exceptions for compounding, long-term care residents, and hospice patients.

New subsection H adds requirements for schedule III and IV controlled substances, limiting refills to five times and expiration to six months after issuance.

New subsection I sets a one-year expiration limit for schedule V controlled substances that require prescriptions.

New subsection J establishes retail sale limits for controlled substances not requiring prescriptions, including quantity restrictions and identification requirements for purchasers.

New subsection L adds specific labeling requirements, including a red cap requirement for opioid schedule II substances and transfer warnings for schedules II through IV.

New subsections M through R clarify electronic prescribing requirements, including registration criteria for practitioners, exceptions for medication-assisted treatment, and a delay for veterinary practitioners until electronic prescribing software is widely available.

Subsection E was expanded to require written documentation of emergency oral prescriptions with specific notation of 'authorization for emergency dispensing' and board notification requirements.

Subsection N was expanded to include additional exceptions for electronic prescribing requirements, including situations where electronic systems are unavailable and for veterans administration facilities.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from a multi-page introduced version to a consolidated engrossed version, with some minor text corrections and additions throughout.

Floor votes · House Feb 20, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 7, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by Governor

executive

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors