BILL NUMBER:S6725

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to
the distribution of educational materials regarding the misuse of and
addiction to prescription drugs

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:  The purpose of this bill is to help
to prevent the misuse or abuse of prescription drugs.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:  Amends 19.09 of mental hygiene law by
requiring the commissioner of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse Services in consultation with the Department of Health to create
or utilize existing educational materials and make them available to
pharmacists who may distribute them with any prescribed controlled
substance. Such materials shall include information regarding the
dangers misuse and the potential for addiction to prescription drugs,
treatment resources available, and the proper way to dispose of unused
prescription drugs.

The bill would also require the Commissioner to utilize data that is
available to the office in order to identify the counties in New York
State where prescription opioid abuse is most prevalent. At the
discretion of the commissioner, in collaboration with the department
of health, pharmacists may be notified about the prevalence of opioid
abuse in the county where the pharmacists are located, and strongly
encourage the pharmacy to utilize the educational materials created by
              

this bill.

JUSTIFICATION:  Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH) taken in 2009 showed that nearly one-third of people age 12
and over that used drugs for the first time began by using a
prescription drug non-medically. The same survey found that over 70
percent of people who abused prescription pain relievers obtained them
from friends or relatives. Additionally, it was shown in the latest
Monitoring the Future Study, the Nation's largest survey of drug use
among young people administered by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), of the drugs most often abused, prescription drugs
ranked second behind marijuana.

A contributing factor to the rise of prescription drug abuse has been
the common misperception that prescription medications are less
dangerous than illegal drugs because they are FDA-approved. Many
well-meaning parents do not understand the risks associated with
giving prescribed medication to a teenager or another family member
for whom the medication was not prescribed, or, they are not aware
that youth are abusing prescription drugs at all; thus, they
frequently leave unused prescription drugs in open medicine cabinets.

In 2011 the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) stated in
its Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan that a key factor to
deterring prescription drug abuse is educating the youth and their
parents about the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs.
The ONDCP also recommended that organizations such as local anti-drug
coalitions and pharmacies should promote and disseminate public
educational materials in order to increase awareness of prescription
drug misuse and abuse, and how to safely dispose of unused
prescription medications. In 2012, the New York State Department of


Health (DOH) in partnership with the Office of Alcoholism and
Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and the Pharmacists Society of the
State of New York (PSSNY) issued a letter to pharmacies in New York
emphasizing the vital role pharmacists play in this goal. Their
position gives them a unique opportunity to increase the knowledge of
their customers regarding the consequences that result from the misuse
of prescription medication.

This bill would help to prevent the misuse or abuse of prescription
drugs by providing pharmacists with educational materials that they
may distribute to their customers. Such materials would provide
information on the dangers of misuse, and the potential for addiction
to prescription medications. They would also provide information on
how to access treatment services and safely dispose of unused
prescription medications.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is a new bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Undetermined

EFFECTIVE DATE:  This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after
is shall it have become law.