STAND. COM. REP. NO. 901

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 944

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 944 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Make chapter 329, Hawaii Revised Statutes, consistent with recent amendments in federal law on controlled substances;

 

     (2)  Amend section 329-14, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to add new controlled substances emergency scheduled by the State;

 

     (3)  Amend section 329-75(h), Hawaii Revised Statutes, to limit the penalties relating to pseudoephedrine; and

 

     (4)  Make housekeeping amendments to chapter 329, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety; Police Department, City and County of Honolulu; and Natural Cancer Wellness Foundation.

 

     Your Committee finds that there is a growing problem of synthetic hallucinogenic substances being developed for sale to the public as "herbal incense" or "bath salts" in Hawaii.  In the in the interest of public health and safety, the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration have placed in schedule the increasing number of synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones, as well as two new anabolic steroids.  This measure is necessary to reflect these updates to the controlled substance schedule designations under the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 944, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair