Relates to the distribution of educational materials regarding the misuse of and addiction to prescription drugs

The bill would also require the Commissioner to utilize data that is available to the office in order to identify the counties in New York State where prescription opioid abuse is most prevalent. At the discretion of the commissioner, in collaboration with the department of health, pharmacists may be notified about the prevalence of opioid abuse in the county where the pharmacists are located, and strongly encourage the pharmacy to utilize the educational materials created by this bill.

Justification

Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) taken in 2009 showed that nearly one-third of people age 12 and over that used drugs for the first time began by using a prescription drug non-medically. The same survey found that over 70 percent of people who abused prescription pain relievers obtained them from friends or relatives. Additionally, it was shown in the latest Monitoring the Future Study, the Nation's largest survey of drug use among young people administered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), of the drugs most often abused, prescription drugs ranked second behind marijuana.

A contributing factor to the rise of prescription drug abuse has been the common misperception that prescription medications are less dangerous than illegal drugs because they are FDA-approved. Many well-meaning parents do not understand the risks associated with giving prescribed medication to a teenager or another family member for whom the medication was not prescribed, or, they are not aware that youth are abusing prescription drugs at all; thus, they frequently leave unused prescription drugs in open medicine cabinets.

In 2011 the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) stated in its Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan that a key factor to deterring prescription drug abuse is educating the youth and their parents about the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. The ONDCP also recommended that organizations such as local anti-drug coalitions and pharmacies should promote and disseminate public educational materials in order to increase awareness of prescription drug misuse and abuse, and how to safely dispose of unused prescription medications. In 2012, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) in partnership with the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY) issued a letter to pharmacies in New York emphasizing the vital role pharmacists play in this goal. Their position gives them a unique opportunity to increase the knowledge of their customers regarding the consequences that result from the misuse of prescription medication.

This bill would help to prevent the misuse or abuse of prescription drugs by providing pharmacists with educational materials that they may distribute to their customers. Such materials would provide information on the dangers of misuse, and the potential for addiction to prescription medications. They would also provide information on how to access treatment services and safely dispose of unused prescription medications.

Prior legislative history

2015: S. 881 - Passed Assembly. 2014: S.6725 - Reported to Finance /A.7837 - Passed Assembly.

Fiscal implications

Undetermined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become law.