BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1414
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1414 (Hill)
As Amended March 8, 2010
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |73-0 |(January 27, |SENATE: |32-0 |(June 28, |
| | |2010) | | |2010) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS.
SUMMARY : Removes apomorphine from Schedule II of the California
Controlled Substances Act, as specified.
The Senate amendment removes apomorphine completely from the
California Controlled Substances Act.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Classifies controlled substances in five schedules according
to their danger and potential for abuse. Schedule I
controlled substances have the greatest restrictions and
penalties, including prohibiting the prescribing of a Schedule
I controlled substance.
2)Provides that the penalty for the possession, possession for
sale, and sale of an analog of a controlled substance shall be
the same as the penalty for the classified controlled
substance.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY, this bill removed apomorphine from
Schedule II of the California Controlled Substances Act, as
specified, and instead places it on Schedule V, as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis, negligible fiscal impact.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Assembly Bill 1414 would
change the placement of the substance apomorphine from Schedule
II to Schedule V within the California Uniform Controlled
Substances Act. Currently, apomorphine is classified as a
Schedule II controlled substance, a classification that is
generally defined by drugs that have an accepted medical value,
present a high potential for abuse, and may lead to severe
AB 1414
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psychological or physical dependence if abused. Schedule II
substances generally require more oversight due to the potential
dangers associated with misuse of the substances. However,
beyond the name, apomorphine has little relation to morphine and
its properties. 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."
According to the National Library of Medicine, "Apomorphine is
used to treat 'off' episodes (times of difficulty moving,
walking, and speaking that may happen as medication wears off or
at random) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD; a disorder
of the nervous system that causes difficulties with movement,
muscle control, and balance) who are taking other medications
for their disorder. Apomorphine will not work to prevent 'off'
episodes, but will help improve symptoms when an episode has
already begun. Apomorphine is in a class of medications called
dopamine agonists. Apomorphine works by mimicking the action of
dopamine, a natural substance in the brain that is lacking in
patients with PD.
"Side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea,
headache, yawning, runny nose, weakness, paleness, flushing,
bone or joint pain, pain or difficulty in urination, and
soreness, redness, pain, bruising, swelling, or itching in the
place where you injected apomorphine.
"Some side effects can be serious, although uncommon: shortness
of breath, cough, fast or pounding heartbeat, chest pain,
swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs, bruising,
sudden uncontrollable movements, falling down, hallucinations
(seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist), depression,
confusion, abnormal behavior, change in vision, and painful
erection that does not go away. Some laboratory animals that
were given apomorphine developed eye disease. It is not known
if apomorphine increases the risk of eye disease in humans."
Please see the policy committee for a full discussion of this
bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Horiuchi / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744
AB 1414
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FN: 0004877