STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1121-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.R. No. 99
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.R. No. 99
entitled: 

     "HOUSE RESOLUTION CONVENING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE
     IMPLICATIONS OF INCREASED ACCESS TO STERILE SYRINGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to request the Director of
Health to convene a task force to:

     (1)  Study the implications of increased access to sterile
          syringes; and

     (2)  Submit a report of the findings and recommendations to
          the Legislature no later than twenty days before the
          convening of the Regular Session of 2001.

     The Department of Health testified in support of this
measure.

     Research has shown that increased access to sterile syringes
does not promote increased drug use.  Your Committee notes that
while Hawaii law allows for the exchange of sterile syringes to
injection drug users through a one-for-one syringe exchange
program, needle exchanges are not sufficient to prevent the
spread of life-threatening contagious diseases.

 
 
 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1121-00
                                 Page 2

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 99 and
recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and
Hawaiian Affairs.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair