Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 63, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety (NED)to conduct a study examining methods to reduce prescription fraud, mitigate prescription errors, and control costs of drug prescription within the State.

Script IQ testified in support of this measure. The Department of Public Safety supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee finds that errors from illegible handwriting and/or "like sounding" drugs result in thousands of injuries and deaths annually. Furthermore, prescriptions are currently written on plain paper stock and are easily stolen and duplicated. This measure proposes a study to identify potential opportunities to reduce prescription drug fraud and errors and control costs of drug prescription within the State.

NED testified that, although it supports the intent of this measure, it is not the appropriate agency to conduct the study. NED has statutory responsibility to monitor controlled substances and investigate allegations of prescription fraud. NED is not involved in any way with prescription errors or the prescribing of drugs in general.

Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau, rather than NED, to conduct the study.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 63, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 63, H.D. 2.