Amended in Assembly March 12, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 26

Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O’Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood)

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(Coauthor: Senator McGuire)

February 19, 2015

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 26—Relative to Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 26, as amended, Levine. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of March 2015 as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourage all citizens to actively participate in prevention programs and activities, and to safely store and dispose of their medications on a continual basis.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Drug overdose was the leading cause of injury and
death in 2012, and among people 25 to 64 years of age, drug
overdose caused more deaths than motor vehicle traffic crashes;
and

WHEREAS, Every day in the United States, 120 people die as
a result of drug overdose, and another 6,748 are treated in
emergency departments for the misuse or abuse of drugs; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, drug overdoses in the United States caused
43,982 deaths and 22,767, or 52 percent, of those deaths were from
prescription drugs; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, 2.5 million emergency department visits
were related to the misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals; and

WHEREAS, Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers costs
health insurers up to $72.5 billion annually in direct health care
costs; and

WHEREAS, Overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers
now exceed the number of deaths from heroin and cocaine
combined; and

WHEREAS, As many as 70 percent of people who abuse
prescription drugs get them from a relative or friend instead of a
doctor; and

WHEREAS, During the last National Prescription Drug
Take-Back Day, the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) collected 617,150 pounds (309 tons) of
unwanted medication on Saturday, September 27, 2014; and

WHEREAS, The 2014 National Drug Control Strategy listed
four interventions to reduce prescription drug abuse, one of which
was to provide safe drug disposal by increasing return and
take-back programs. We support California acquiring a sustainably
funded and well publicized statewide medication take-back system
that is much more convenient to consumers than the current
one-day events or disposal at hazardous waste facilities; and

WHEREAS, The National Coalition Against Prescription Drug
Abuse, law enforcement, community-based organizations, alcohol
and other drug service providers, and civic and business leaders
coordinate Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month activities
in California to engage our citizens in demonstrating their
commitment to prevention campaigns and education aimed at
raising awareness about the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs,
promoting prescription drug safe storage and disposal, and using
medications only as prescribed; and

WHEREAS, Families, schools, businesses, faith-based
communities, law enforcement, medical professionals, county and
local governments, health care practitioners, and pharmacists in
the state, and the general public will demonstrate their commitment
to the prevention of prescription medication abuse by participating
in activities intended to highlight local efforts during the month
of March; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature supports National Prescription
Drug Take-Back Day as declared by the DEA, and encourages
residents to locate their local collection site and safely dispose of
their accumulated unwanted and unused prescription drugs; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares March
2015 as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourages
all citizens to actively participate in prevention programs and
activities, and to safely store and dispose of their medications on
a continual basis; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.