STAND. COM. REP. NO. 159

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 604
                                        S.D. 1
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
604, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow the administrator of
the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Department of Public
Safety to share information from the electronic prescription
accountability system with practicioners who dispense controlled
substances.

     Your Committee finds that abuse of prescription medications
containing controlled substances is an increasing problem in
Hawaii.  Your Committee further finds that allowing the Narcotics
Enforcement Division to share prescription information with
practicioners, while providing adequate safeguards for patient
privacy, will assist in better evaluation and assessment of
patients who are visiting multiple practicioners to obtain
controlled substances.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Department of Public Safety and the Hawaii Medical Association.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by:


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 159
                                   Page 2


     (1)  Requiring that transfer of prescription information to
          a dispenser be done by certified mail;

     (2)  Limiting the disclosure to information that is about
          the dispenser's own patient; and

     (3)  Making technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
604, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 604, S.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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