BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
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26 (Levine)
As Introduced February 19, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Rules |11-0 |Gordon, Chang, | |
| | |Burke, Campos, | |
| | |Cooley, Dodd, | |
| | |Jones, Mayes, | |
| | |Rodriguez, Waldron, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Proclaims the month of 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.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1)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. 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
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misuse or abuse of drugs.
2)Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers costs health insurers
up to $72.5 billion annually in direct health care costs; and
overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers now exceed the
number of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined.
3)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.
4)The 2014 National Drug Control Strategy supports 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.
5)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.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
Analysis Prepared by:
Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800 FN: 0000043
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