BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1414
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 21, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                    AB 1414 (Hill) - As Amended:  January 4, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Public  
          SafetyVote:  7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill removes apomorphine from Schedule II of the California  
          Controlled Substances Act, and places it on Schedule V. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible fiscal impact.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . The author's intent is to more accurately classify  
            apomorphine, which has little relation to morphine and its  
            properties, and is not even listed on the federal controlled  
            substances schedule, which California generally follows.   
            According to the author, "While morphine is appropriately  
            classified as a schedule II controlled substance, apomorphine  
            does not meet the criteria set forth above and should be  
            classified with other prescription drugs that do not pose such  
            dangers."

           2)Scheduling Controlled Substances  . California classifies  
            controlled substances in five schedules according to danger  
            and abuse potential. Schedule I substances have the greatest  
            restrictions and penalties. California does not have a formal  
            controlled substance classification procedure, but rather  
            relies on the federal controlled substance schedule to  
            determine the appropriateness of scheduling a particular  
            substance.     

             a)   Schedule I - High potential for abuse, no accepted  
               medical use in treatment in the U.S. 








                                                                  AB 1414
                                                                  Page  2



             b)   Schedule II - High potential for abuse with an accepted  
               medical use in the U.S. Abuse may lead to severe  
               psychological or physical dependence. 


             c)   Schedule III - Less potential for abuse and an accepted  
               medical use in the U.S. Abuse may lead to moderate or low  
               physical or high psychological dependence. 


             d)   Schedule IV - Low potential for abuse relative to  
               Schedule III, with an accepted medical use in the U.S.  
               Abuse may lead to limited physical or psychological  
               dependence. 


             e)   Schedule V - Low potential for abuse relative to  
               Schedule IV with an accepted medical use in the U.S. Abuse  
               may lead to limited physical or psychological dependence. 


           3)Apomorphine  :  According to the National Library of Medicine,  
            apomorphine is used to treat 'off' episodes - difficulty  
            moving, walking, and speaking that may happen randomly or as  
            medication wears off - in patients with Parkinson's disease.  
            Apomorphine is in a class of medications called dopamine  
            agonists, which work by mimicking the action of dopamine, a  
            natural substance in the brain that is lacking in patients  
            with Parkinson's.  



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081