Amended IN Senate August 21, 2017 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68Introduced by Senators Bates and Hill(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Cannella, Dodd, Morrell, Nguyen, Stone, and Wilk)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bocanegra, Brough, Chvez, Gallagher, Harper, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Obernolte, Rubio, Steinorth, Voepel, Waldron, and Wood)July 18, 2017Relative to drug abuse. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 68, as amended, Bates. Drug abuse awareness.This measure would designate the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, as specified.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, Opioids are drugs that act on the nervous system to conceal pain; andWHEREAS, Today, prescription opioids are more widely used than tobacco; andWHEREAS, In 2015, more than 300,000,000 opioid prescriptions were written in the United States; andWHEREAS, From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people died from overdoses related to prescription opioids; andWHEREAS, In 2015, 52,404 deaths in the United States were caused by a drug overdose, of which 63 percent of those overdoses involved opioids; andWHEREAS, Drug overdoses kill more people in one year than the number of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States; andWHEREAS, The use of fentanyl is on the rise, with nearly seven times more confiscations of fentanyl from 2012 to 2014, totaling 4,585 in 2014, according to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System; andWHEREAS, Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; andWHEREAS, Aggregate annual costs for prescription opioid overdose, abuse, and dependence were over $78.5 billion dollars; andWHEREAS, Abuse of opioid pain relievers is the strongest risk factor for heroin abuse; andWHEREAS, Seventy-Five Seventy-five percent of new heroin users were first addicted to a legally prescribed prescription opioid; andWHEREAS, Many teens and young adults first use opioids when they are prescribed to them following an injury or routine procedure like the removal of wisdom teeth; andWHEREAS, Each day in the United States, 580 people initiate heroin use; andWHEREAS, Opioid use and misuse can create brain changes that lead to addiction; andWHEREAS, Most people who are addicted to opioids cannot taper off, or use less of the drug over time, without help; andWHEREAS, The long-term damage to individuals and families is highly detrimental; andWHEREAS, September marks Each year, a week in September is designated as national Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourages residents to show support for opioid and prescription drug awareness; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. Amended IN Senate August 21, 2017 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68Introduced by Senators Bates and Hill(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Cannella, Dodd, Morrell, Nguyen, Stone, and Wilk)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bocanegra, Brough, Chvez, Gallagher, Harper, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Obernolte, Rubio, Steinorth, Voepel, Waldron, and Wood)July 18, 2017Relative to drug abuse. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 68, as amended, Bates. Drug abuse awareness.This measure would designate the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, as specified.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Amended IN Senate August 21, 2017 Amended IN Senate August 21, 2017 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68 Introduced by Senators Bates and Hill(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Cannella, Dodd, Morrell, Nguyen, Stone, and Wilk)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bocanegra, Brough, Chvez, Gallagher, Harper, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Obernolte, Rubio, Steinorth, Voepel, Waldron, and Wood)July 18, 2017 Introduced by Senators Bates and Hill(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Cannella, Dodd, Morrell, Nguyen, Stone, and Wilk)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bocanegra, Brough, Chvez, Gallagher, Harper, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Obernolte, Rubio, Steinorth, Voepel, Waldron, and Wood) July 18, 2017 Relative to drug abuse. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 68, as amended, Bates. Drug abuse awareness. This measure would designate the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, as specified. This measure would designate the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, as specified. ## Digest Key ## Bill Text WHEREAS, Opioids are drugs that act on the nervous system to conceal pain; and WHEREAS, Today, prescription opioids are more widely used than tobacco; and WHEREAS, In 2015, more than 300,000,000 opioid prescriptions were written in the United States; and WHEREAS, From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people died from overdoses related to prescription opioids; and WHEREAS, In 2015, 52,404 deaths in the United States were caused by a drug overdose, of which 63 percent of those overdoses involved opioids; and WHEREAS, Drug overdoses kill more people in one year than the number of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States; and WHEREAS, The use of fentanyl is on the rise, with nearly seven times more confiscations of fentanyl from 2012 to 2014, totaling 4,585 in 2014, according to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System; and WHEREAS, Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and WHEREAS, Aggregate annual costs for prescription opioid overdose, abuse, and dependence were over $78.5 billion dollars; and WHEREAS, Abuse of opioid pain relievers is the strongest risk factor for heroin abuse; and WHEREAS, Seventy-Five Seventy-five percent of new heroin users were first addicted to a legally prescribed prescription opioid; and WHEREAS, Many teens and young adults first use opioids when they are prescribed to them following an injury or routine procedure like the removal of wisdom teeth; and WHEREAS, Each day in the United States, 580 people initiate heroin use; and WHEREAS, Opioid use and misuse can create brain changes that lead to addiction; and WHEREAS, Most people who are addicted to opioids cannot taper off, or use less of the drug over time, without help; and WHEREAS, The long-term damage to individuals and families is highly detrimental; and WHEREAS, September marks Each year, a week in September is designated as national Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of September 2017 as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourages residents to show support for opioid and prescription drug awareness; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.