Controlled substances: medicine locking closure packages: grant program.

Existing law, the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act, specifies the proper uses of, and means of prescribing, controlled substances, as defined. Existing law prohibits a person other than a pharmacist or an intern pharmacist, as specified, from compounding, preparing, filling, or dispensing a prescription for a controlled substance. A violation of these provisions is generally a misdemeanor unless another punishment is specifically provided. Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health, which has authority over various programs promoting public health and which may investigate, apply for, and enter into agreements to secure federal or nongovernmental funding opportunities for the purposes of advancing public health. This bill, until January 1, 2020, would authorize the department to establish a pilot program, as specified, to award grants to combat opioid abuse through the safe prescribing of opioids. The bill would require the department to award grants, in an amount to be determined by the department, to individual pharmacies that choose to participate in the program. The bill would require a pharmacy that applies for and receives a grant to offer all patients who are prescribed an opioid a medicine locking closure package, as defined. The bill would prohibit the department from using General Fund moneys on this program unless those moneys are specifically appropriated for this purpose. The bill would require the department to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and report its findings to the Legislature no later than December 31, 2019.