BILL NUMBER: SCR 8CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 26 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE MAY 8, 2013 ADOPTED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2013 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 18, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 18, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Senator DeSaulnier (Coauthors: Senators Block, Cannella, Correa, Hancock, Hill, Lieu, Monning, Pavley, Price, Walters, and Wolk) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Bloom, Blumenfield, Brown, Fox, Nestande, V. Manuel Prez, Quirk-Silva, Salas, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk, Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Atkins, Bigelow, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chvez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernndez, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. Prez, Quirk, Rendon, Skinner, Stone, Torres, Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada) JANUARY 14, 2013 Relative to Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 8, DeSaulnier. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month. This measure would proclaim the month of March, each year, as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourage all citizens to participate in prevention programs and activities and to pledge to "Spread the Word ... One Pill Can Kill." WHEREAS, In 2008, drug overdoses in the United States caused 36,450 deaths and 20,044 of these were from prescription drug overdoses; and WHEREAS, Overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers (OPR) have increased and now exceed deaths involving heroin and cocaine combined; 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 OPR costs insurance companies up to $72.5 billion annually in health care costs; and WHEREAS, By 2010, enough prescription painkillers were sold to medicate every American adult with a typical dose of five milligrams of hydrocodone every four hours for one month; and WHEREAS, In 2010, 2 million people reported using prescription painkillers nonmedically for the first time within the last year--nearly 5,500 a day; 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, The National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, alcohol and other drug service providers, and civic and business leaders, coordinates Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month activities to offer our citizens the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to campaigns and education aimed at raising awareness about the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, promoting safe storage and disposal of prescription drugs, 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, pharmacists, and the general public throughout the state 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; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the month of March, each year, is hereby proclaimed to be Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and that all citizens are encouraged to participate in prevention programs and activities and to pledge to "Spread the Word ... One Pill Can Kill"; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.