BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2483
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 12, 2004

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                   Judy Chu, Chair

                     AB 2483 (Chan) - As Amended:  April 27, 2004

          Policy Committee:                              Health Vote:12-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill creates an adolescent alcohol and drug treatment pilot  
          in four counties. Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Establishes a three-year pilot in Alameda, San Francisco,  
            Orange, and Mendocino counties to develop and provide  
            adolescent alcohol and drug treatment. 

          2)Requires the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (DADP) to  
            allocate a one-time grant of $100,000 to each of the counties  
            by February 1, 2005. 

          3)Requires DADP to evaluate the pilot project and report to the  
            Legislature and governor by June 1, 2007.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)$400,000 GF for one-time grants to each of the four counties. 

          2)Costs in the range of $100,000 for the DADP evaluation. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill increases the coordination and  
            availability of substance abuse treatment for adolescents by  
            establishing pilot programs in four counties that will include  
            the submission of a comprehensive plan to the local board of  
            supervisors and the establishment of a local coalition to  
            develop adolescent drug treatment capacity. 

           2)Adolescent Substance Abuse  . According to federal data, about  
            200,000 adolescents in California have substance abuse  








                                                                  AB 2483
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            problems. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO),  
            only about 10 percent of adolescents who need drug treatment  
            actually receive it. Youth with untreated drug and alcohol  
            problems are at greater risk for incarceration, foster care,  
            homelessness, and health and mental health problems. 

           3)DADP  .  The DADP coordinates the state's efforts to prevent or  
            minimize the effects of alcohol-related problems, narcotic  
            addiction, and drug abuse. Services include prevention, early  
            intervention, detoxification, and recovery. Funding for DADP  
            is about $600 million from all fund sources for the current  
            year and the department will serve about 400,000 clients.   
            Only about $7 million is specifically earmarked for adolescent  
            treatment. 

           4)Barriers to Youth Treatment  . According to a report by the LAO,  
            several barriers exist to effective adolescent substance abuse  
            treatment. California's treatment system was developed for  
            adults and very few residential treatments are available to  
            adolescents. Licensing regulations are restrictive, often  
            making it difficult to license youth drug treatment centers.  
            In addition, adolescents may not have access to transportation  
            and may not recognize or admit to substance abuse.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081