California Considers Numerous Drug Policy Bills

Fortunately, none of these bills has measurably advanced through the Legislature.

June 8 is the last day for bills to pass out of their house of origin and move to the next chamber.
 
The following bills, supported by DPA, are of special note:
 
AB 110, co-sponsored by the Drug Policy Alliance Network and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and authored by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), would allow local governments to use state HIV/AIDS prevention dollars to purchase syringes for authorized syringe exchange programs.
 
AB 508, authored by Assemblymember Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland), would allow those with prior drug-related felony convictions to obtain food stamps. This bill builds upon AB 1796 (Leno) from 2004, which reached only those with prior possession convictions.
 
AB 374, co-authored by Assemblymembers Patty Berg (D-Eureka) and Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) and Speaker Fabian Nunez, would enact the California Compassionate Choices Act. The Act, modeled on Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, would provide for mentally capable, terminally ill adults with three months or less to live to legally obtain and use prescription medication to end their suffering.
 
When the Bush Administration unsuccessfully challenged Oregon’s law, DPA’s Office of Legal Affairs submitted an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief to the Supreme Court along with the American Public Health Association. In 2005, APHA issued a policy statement on the role of public health in end-of-life issues.
 
DPA has been a consistent supporter of end-of-life choices, given that part of our mission is to “promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies.” Nikos Leverenz, director of DPA's California Capital Office, said, "The overarching goals and principles of palliative care, which seeks to minimize suffering for terminally ill persons, should not be frustrated by charged rhetoric and political gamesmanship."
 
More information on the California Compassionate Choices Act, including ways to contact your state legislators, may be found here.