STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1939

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 290

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 290, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Update the Uniform Controlled Substances Act to make it consistent with amendments in the federal controlled substances law relating to approved cannabidiol drugs; and

(2) Authorize qualifying patients or qualifying out-of-state patients to transport medical cannabis between islands for their personal medical use.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, Greenwich Biosciences, and Hawaii Educational Association for Licensed Therapeutic Healthcare. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety and Department of Transportation.

Your Committee finds that the federal controlled substances law was updated to include a Schedule V controlled substance used to treat certain childhood-onset epilepsy patients who were not previously helped by other epilepsy medicines. This measure updates the Hawaii Uniform Controlled Substances Act to reflect those recent changes to federal law.

Your Committee further finds that the Uniform Controlled Substances Act establishes general requirements on prescription quantity notations, and that implementing those requirements on electronic prescriptions in Hawaii will simplify the electronic prescription process without exposing patients to increased risk of error or fraud.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that where an electronic prescription is permitted, either words or figures may be used to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 290, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 290, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair