BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        ACR 26|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 26
          Author:   Levine (D), et al.
          Amended:  3/12/15 in Assembly 
          Vote:     21  

          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  Read and adopted, 3/12/15

           SUBJECT:   Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month


          SOURCE:    Author


          DIGEST:  This resolution 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.


          ANALYSIS:   This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings:


          1.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.


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


          3.Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers costs health  








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            insurers up to $72.5 billion annually in direct health care  
            costs.


          4.Overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers now exceed the  
            number of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined; and as many  
            as 70% of people who abuse prescription drugs get them from a  
            relative or friend instead of a doctor.


          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.


          This resolution 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.


          Prior Legislation


          ACR 93 (Buchanan, Resolution Chapter 23, Statutes of 2014)  
          proclaimed the month of March 2014 as Drug Abuse Awareness Month  
          in California, and encouraged all citizens to participate in  
          prevention programs and activities, and to pledge to "Spread the  
          Word ... One Pill Can Kill."


          SCR 8 (DeSaulnier, Resolution Chapter 26, Statutes of 2013)  
          proclaimed the month of March, each year, as Prescription Drug  
          Abuse Awareness Month and encouraged all citizens to participate  
          in prevention programs and activities and to pledge to "Spread  
          the Word ... One Pill Can Kill."









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          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified3/24/15)


          RxSafe Marin


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified3/24/15)


          None received






          Prepared by:Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          3/25/15 17:37:47


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