State Senate passes pill mill bill

The Georgia State Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would require pain management clinics to be licensed and regulated by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.

The bill was aimed at preventing the spread of so-called “pill mills” that dole out large quantities of painkillers with little or no health screening of patients. The bill passed by a vote of 44 to 5 and was carried in the Senate by Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford.