STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
881
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 8, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CYMBROWITZ, CRESPO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of
A. ARROYO, BORELLI, COOK, CROUCH, FARRELL, GUNTHER, HIKIND, HOOPER,
JAFFEE, LUPINACCI, MAGEE, MOSLEY, MOYA, PEOPLES-STOKES, RA, RIVERA,
TITUS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to the distribution
of educational materials regarding the misuse of and addiction to
prescription drugs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 19.09 of the mental hygiene law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision (j) to read as follows:
3 (j) (1) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of
4 health, shall create or utilize existing educational materials which
5 shall include information regarding the dangers of misuse and the poten-
6 tial for addiction to prescription drugs, treatment resources available,
7 and the proper way to dispose of unused prescription drugs. Such mate-
8 rials shall be made available to pharmacists and may be distributed with
9 any prescribed drug that is a controlled substance by a pharmacist
10 licensed by the state to dispense prescription drugs to the public
11 pursuant to section sixty-eight hundred five of the education law. The
12 information contained in such materials shall also be posted on the
13 website of the office and the department of health. Such materials shall
14 be provided in languages other than English as deemed appropriate by the
15 commissioners.
16 (2) Utilizing data that is available to the office, including, but not
17 limited to, information obtained pursuant to subdivision four of section
18 thirty-three hundred nine-a of the public health law, the commissioner
19 shall identify the counties in New York state where prescription opioid
20 abuse is most prevalent. Pharmacists licensed by the state to dispense
21 prescription drugs may be notified at the discretion of the commissioner
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05258-01-5
A. 881 2
1 in collaboration with the department of health, about the prevalence of
2 opioid abuse in the county in which such pharmacists are located and
3 encourage the facilities where prescription drugs are dispensed to
4 distribute materials created or utilized pursuant to paragraph one of
5 this subdivision.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
7 have become a law.
