STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3090

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 133
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.C.R. No. 133 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT 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 measure is to request the Director of
Health (DOH) to convene a task force to study the implications of
increasing the access to sterile syringes.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the DOH, Department of Human Services, Board of Pharmacy,
Governor's Committee on HIV/AIDS, Hawaii Pharmacists Association,
Hawaii HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, AIDS Community
Care Team, and Hawaii Medical Association.

     Current law deems syringes to be "drug paraphernalia", the
use or possession of which is prohibited by Hawaii's controlled
substances law.  The removal or modification of legal barriers to
the availability of sterile syringes has been recommended by
several reputable national professional organizations.  Allowing
injection drug users to purchase sterile syringes at pharmacies
without a prescription would decrease the incidences of
transmission of disease.  However, your Committee believes that
the legislature should proceed cautiously in amending the laws.
This measure is intended to lay the groundwork for possible
future statutory amendments.

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3090
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     Your Committee has amended this measure by correcting
typographical errors and adding a task force member representing
the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of
S.C.R. No. 133, as amended herein, and recommends that it be
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached
hereto as S.C.R. No. 133, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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