Bill Text: CA AB715 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled

California Assembly Bill 715 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Workgroup review of opioid pain reliever use and abuse.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Vetoed) 2018-01-12 - Stricken from file. [AB715 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB715-Enrolled.html

Enrolled September 13, 2017

Passed IN Senate September 06, 2017

Passed IN Assembly September 11, 2017

Amended IN Senate June 08, 2017

Amended IN Assembly April 18, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 715

Introduced by Assembly Member Wood

February 15, 2017

An act to add and repeal Part 6.3 (commencing with Section 1179.90) of Division 1 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 715, Wood. Workgroup review of opioid pain reliever use and abuse.

Existing law creates the State Department of Public Health and vests it with duties, powers, functions, jurisdiction, and responsibilities with regard to the advancement of public health.

This bill would require the department to convene a workgroup, comprised of members selected by the department, to review existing prescription guidelines and develop a recommended statewide guideline addressing best practices for prescribing opioid pain relievers. The bill would require the department, on or before March 1, 2019, to report the workgroup’s conclusions and recommendations to the Legislature. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2020.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Opioid abuse is a serious problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of the state.

(b) After alcohol, prescription drugs are the most commonly abused substances by Americans over 12 years of age.

(c) Almost 2 million people in the United States suffer from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers.

(d) Deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers represent the largest portion of drug overdose deaths involving heroin or cocaine.

(e) The number of unintentional overdose deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers has more than quadrupled since 1999.

(f) The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that healthcare providers should only use opioid pain relievers in carefully screened and monitored patients when nonopioid treatments are insufficient to manage pain.

(g) Long-lasting, nonnarcotic, local anesthetic, and multimodal alternatives for managing postsurgical acute pain have reduced, and in some instances, eliminated the need for patient dependency on opioid pain relievers.

SEC. 2.

Part 6.3 (commencing with Section 1179.90) is added to Division 1 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

PART 6.3 Workgroup Review of Opioid Pain Reliever Use and Abuse

1179.90.

(a) The State Department of Public Health shall convene a workgroup to do all of the following:

(1) Review existing prescription guidelines, including, but not limited to, guidelines developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Medical Board of California.

(2) Develop a recommended statewide guideline addressing best practices for prescribing opioid pain relievers for instances of acute, short-term pain. In developing the statewide guideline, the workgroup may consider, among other things, evidence-based, peer-reviewed research, lessons learned from demonstration pilot projects, the effectiveness of long-lasting, nonnarcotic, local anesthetic alternatives for managing postsurgical acute pain, or other policies that have been successful in reducing opioid use and abuse. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, the appropriateness of limiting initial prescription duration and the appropriateness of a differing prescribing protocol for individuals under 21 years of age, and pregnant or lactating women.

(b) The State Department of Public Health shall determine the membership of the workgroup, ensuring an open and inclusive process. Members of the workgroup shall include, but not be limited to, family practitioners, emergency room physicians, osteopathic physicians, dentists, surgeons, pain management experts, and experts in the field of substance abuse prevention and treatment.

1179.91.

On or before March 1, 2019, the State Department of Public Health shall submit to the Legislature a report of the workgroup’s conclusions and recommendations pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1179.90 and any other recommendations made by the workgroup. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.