STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3142

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.R. No. 40
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education and Technology, to which was
referred S.R. No. 40 entitled:

     "SENATE RESOLUTION STRONGLY URGING THE UNITED STATES
     DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL
     HEALTH TO ENGAGE IN A NATIONAL EXAMINATION OF THE
     APPROPRIATE USE OF PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON
     CHILDREN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to urge the U.S. Department
of Education and the National Institute of Mental Health to
conduct a national study of the appropriate use of psychiatric
drugs and their effects on children.

     Testimony in support of the measure was received from Hawaii
Psychiatric Medical Association.  Oral testimony supporting the
measure was provided by HSTA.

     Your Committee finds that although the psychotropic
medication Ritalin is used to treat Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder in children, there have been claims that
Ritalin has some serious side-effects, including causing
permanent neurological tics, retarding growth in children, and
routinely causing gross malfunctions in the brains of children.
Most significantly, recent incidents of school violence have been
linked to children being unnecessarily medicated by drugs such as
Ritalin.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3142
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     Accordingly your Committee agrees that a study of whether
psychiatric drugs are necessary and appropriate uses to treat
mental illnesses in children, is of paramount importance.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee amended the
measure to:

     (1)  Change the title and the request to a national
          examination of the appropriate use of psychiatric drugs
          as necessary to treat mental illnesses in children;

     (2)  Remove all WHEREAS paragraphs; and

     (3)  Add one new WHEREAS paragraph about adequate testing of
          psychiatric drugs for treatment of mental illnesses in
          children.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education and Technology that is attached to this
report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of
S.R. No. 40, as amended herein, and recommends that it be
referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services, in the
form attached hereto as S.R. No. 40, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education and
                                   Technology,



                                   ______________________________
                                   DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 
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