(a) The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Pharmaceutical samples provide a zero-cost option for some Georgians to obtain medication necessary to maintain their health and sustain their lives;

(2) Pharmaceutical medications used in clinical trials are often provided without cost; and

(3) It is in the best interests of Georgians to exempt from sales and use taxes pharmaceutical medications that are distributed without cost for several reasons, including:

(A) The ability to distribute needed medicines to persons who might not otherwise be able to afford them;

(B) The attraction of clinical trials to Georgia for the betterment of the health of Georgians and to continue the state's place as a leader in cutting-edge health research; and

(C) The elimination of an inconsistency in the law whereby pharmaceutical medicines that are sold at retail are not taxed, but those that are distributed for free are subject to taxation.

(b) The General Assembly of Georgia ratifies the Executive Order of the Governor dated August 29, 2008, and filed in the official records of the office of the Governor as Executive Order 08.29.08.01 which suspended the collection of any rate of sales and use taxation as that tax applies to those controlled substances and dangerous drugs, as defined by Code Section 16-13-1, lawfully dispensable by prescription for the treatment of natural persons which are dispensed without charge to physicians, dentists, clinics, hospitals, or any other person or entity located in Georgia by a pharmaceutical manufacturer or distributor and the collection of any such taxes on controlled substances and dangerous drugs, as defined by Code Section 16-13-1, lawfully dispensed without charge for the purposes of a clinical trial approved by an institutional review board which has been accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs.

(c) For the time period commencing on September 1, 2008, as specified in the Executive Order of the Governor dated August 29, 2008, and filed in the official records of the office of the Governor as Executive Order 08.29.08.01 and concluding on the last moment of June 30, 2009, sales and use taxation pursuant to Code Section 48-8-30 as that tax applies to those controlled substances and dangerous drugs, as defined by Code Section 16-13-1, lawfully dispensable by prescription for the treatment of natural persons which are dispensed without charge to physicians, dentists, clinics, hospitals, or any other person or entity located in Georgia by a pharmaceutical manufacturer or distributor and as such tax applies to controlled substances and dangerous drugs, as defined by Code Section 16-13-1, lawfully dispensed without charge for the purposes of a clinical trial approved by an institutional review board which has been accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, shall be governed by the provisions of this Code section notwithstanding any provisions of Code Section 48-8-30 or any other law to the contrary.

(d) The commissioner is authorized to prescribe forms and promulgate rules and regulations deemed necessary in order to administer and effectuate this Code section.