Committee holds bill requiring drug‑detection products in county middle and high schools amid cost concerns

The General Assembly Committee on Jan. 27 voted to hold PG‑50126, a bill that would require Prince George’s County public middle and high schools to make drug‑detection products — including test strips, bracelets and test nail polishes — available free of charge starting in the 2026–27 school year.

Teresa Hessler, a government relations representative, said the bill was sponsored by Delegate Tavares and that sponsors indicated the Office of Overdose Response currently makes these products available at no cost and that the draft language would take effect on July 1, 2026. Under the bill, each public high school would submit an annual report to the state’s Office of Overdose Response beginning Oct. 1, detailing product distribution during the prior academic year.

Council member Meredith Harrison raised concerns about scale and cost: he said the county’s student population (about 130,000 students was cited in the committee exchange) would imply a very large number of kits and questioned whether production and distribution could be completed in a timely fashion. Hessler acknowledged those concerns and said sponsor discussions are ongoing about amendments that would make explicit that no local cost be imposed.

The county executive’s representative said the executive branch is monitoring the bill and is discussing the issue with the school system; at the Jan. 27 meeting the executive team had not taken a formal position. After discussion, the committee adopted a motion to hold the bill for further analysis; the motion carried 5–0.