This bill proposes the addition of a new article to the Code of West Virginia, specifically Article 29, which establishes an excise tax on Schedule II drugs, particularly focusing on opioid substances and their derivatives. The tax will be levied on pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors selling these drugs to licensed pharmacies in West Virginia. The tax rate is set at one cent for every 100 pills sold, multiplied by the number of opioid overdose deaths reported in the state for the most recent year. The Department of Health will provide the necessary data annually, and the Tax Commission will notify pharmacies of the tax amount to be collected.

The collected tax will be remitted by pharmacies to the Tax Commissioner and is designated to fund substance abuse and prevention programs through the Ryan Brown Addiction Prevention and Recovery Fund. Importantly, the bill stipulates that manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies cannot pass this tax cost onto patients. This legislative measure aims to address the opioid crisis by generating revenue to support addiction prevention and recovery initiatives in West Virginia.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 11-29-1