Amended in Assembly March 24, 2014

Amended in Assembly March 17, 2014

Amended in Assembly March 6, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 93

Introduced by Assembly Member Buchanan

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, and Yamada)

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February 11, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 93—Relative to Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 93, as amended, Buchanan. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of March 2014 as Drug Abuse Awareness Month in California, and encourage all citizens to participate in prevention programs and activities and to pledge to “Spread the Word ... One Pill Can Kill.”

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, There were more deaths caused by drug overdoses
in 2010 than traffic accidents among people 25 to 64 years of age;
and

WHEREAS, In 2010, drug overdoses in the United States of
America caused 38,329 deaths and 22,134 of those deaths were
from prescription drugs; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, an estimated 22.5 million Americans 12
years of age or older used an illicit drug or abused a prescription
drug in the past month; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, 1.2 million emergency department visits
were related to misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals, an increase
of 98.4 percent since 2004; 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 more deaths than 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 seven National Prescription Drug
Take Back Days, a total of 3.4 million pounds of medication were
removed from circulation and potential diversion by the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its state, local, and tribal
law enforcement, and community partners; and

WHEREAS, The 2013 National Drug Control Study 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 storing 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 April 26, 2014, as
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day as declared by the
DEA, and encourage 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 does hereby declare March
2014, 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 to encourage all community
members to pledge, “Spread the Word ... One Pill Can Kill”; and
be it further

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

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CORRECTIONS:

Heading--Coauthors--Page 1.

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