STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2901

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 2488
                                        H.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which
was referred H.B. No. 2488, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RETURN OF PRESCRIPTION
     DRUGS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to reduce the waste and costs
associated with the disposal of unused prescription drugs.

     Testimony on the measure was submitted by the Department of
Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Human Services, and
Department of Health.

     Currently, institutional facilities and supervised living
groups either dispose of unused portions of prescription drugs
that are no longer needed by its residents, or return the drugs
to a pharmacy for disposal.  Your Committee finds that this
practice is wasteful and costly, especially in view of the
increasing costs to the State for drugs provided under the
Medicaid program.  In the last quarter of 1999 alone, the
Department of Human Services spent more than $1,200,000 for drugs
administered in long-term care facilities.  

     This measure would stem the waste caused by the disposal of
unused drugs by allowing institutional facilities and supervised
living groups to return unused, unopened drugs to the dispensing
pharmacy so that the drugs may be redispensed and redistributed.

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2901
                                   Page 2


Conditions for the return of unused drugs are established in the
measure to protect the public health and safety.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 2488, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Commerce and
                                   Consumer Protection,



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

 
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