BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2145
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 28, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                AB 2145 (Ammiano) - As Introduced:  February 18, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              JudiciaryVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:   
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill provides authority to specified licensed health care  
          providers and trained laypeople statewide to prescribe and  
          administer naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of  
          opioid overdose, without risk of civil or criminal penalty.  
          Specifically, this bill 

          1)Expands authority established by SB 767, Chapter 477, in 2007  
            in seven counties and makes the provisions permanent.

          2)Expands SB 767 provisions from licensed health care  
            professionals to trained lay people. 

          3)Requires the California Department of Drug and Alcohol  
            Programs to publish an annual report on drug overdose trends  
            and death rates.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)One-time GF costs of $200,000 to $300,000 to the Department of  
            Drug and Alcohol Programs (DADP) to publish an initial annual  
            report about drug overdose information statewide, including  
            measurement of trends in death rates, emergency service use,  
            and other interventions that may be successful at reducing  
            morbidity and mortality in this area. On-going GF costs in the  
            range of $50,000 to $100,000. 

          2)Unknown, potentially significant savings to the extent this  
            bill reduces statewide medical costs associated with drug  
            overdose deaths and treatment costs. 

           COMMENTS  








                                                                  AB 2145
                                                                  Page  2


           1)Rationale  . This bill is co-sponsored by the Harm Reduction  
            Coalition and the Los Angeles Overdose Prevention Task Force.  
            The civil and criminal immunity created by this bill addresses  
            provider concerns about being held liable for the prescription  
            or administration of overdose medication. Under current law,  
            some providers and  trained lay people are hesitant to  
            prescribe naloxone due to concern risk of civil or criminal  
            penalties. 

           2)Background  . Since 2007, Alameda, Fresno, Humboldt, Los  
            Angeles, Mendocino, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz counties  
            have had SB 767 pilot programs that have collectively  
            prevented hundreds of drug overdose deaths. Other states  
            including New York, New Mexico and Connecticut have enacted  
            state laws creating similar provider immunity as established  
            in this bill. The DADP reporting requirements increase the  
            availability of information about drug overdoses and  
            prevention efforts statewide. 

           3)A Drug Overdose  creates a depression of the central nervous  
            system, compromises breathing, and is a leading cause of  
            accidental death. According to the sponsors of this bill there  
            are approximately 3,000 drug overdose deaths each year in  
            California.  Common sources of overdoses are opiates, which  
            include heroin, morphine, and methadone.   The medication  
            naloxone, an opioid antagonist, is administered to counteract  
            a depression of the nervous system and to return breathing to  
            normal. Naloxone blocks receptors in the brain to prevent the  
            action of opioids. 

           4)Related Legislation  . SB 1695 (Escutia), Chapter 678, Statutes  
            of 2002, authorizes counties to develop a program to certify  
            emergency medical technicians to administer naloxone.

           

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