04/18/1994 01:00 PM House JUD

  SB 220 - ADD "CAT" TO SCHEDULE IA DRUG LIST                                  
                                                                               
  Number 565                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER introduced SB 220, explaining that the bill                  
  would add a synthetic drug, presently being abused, to our                   
  list of schedule 1A, controlled substances.  He asked if                     
  there was any discussion on this bill.  He noted that our                    
  label says "2A" but it is supposed to read "1A."                             
                                                                               
  REP. JAMES made the same statement that she had made on                      
  Saturday regarding this bill.  She wished there was some                     
  language put into the statutes making all such drugs illegal                 
  when they are dreamed up, instead of the legislature having                  
  to come back and put each one on the list individually.  She                 
  thought they should still be looking for some wording as to                  
  the purpose or affects of the drug or something.  It seems                   
  that as soon as a drug is added to the list, somebody comes                  
  up with a new drug, and she would like to see that stop.                     
                                                                               
  Number 590                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER could not disagree with that, and thought                    
  there was a law passed stating that if the federal drug list                 
  was updated, that ours was automatically updated.  He said,                  
  while we do not have the lag time we used to have, we still                  
  have a little bit of lag time in these kinds of drugs                        
  getting up here to Alaska.                                                   
                                                                               
  Number 600                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. PHILLIPS said that in looking through the bill pack, it                 
  appeared that the bill [drug] did make it's debut in Hawaii                  
  in 1989 and has been moving around the country since that                    
  time.  She said this is a preventative measure bill.  She                    
  asked if we have had instances of law enforcement officers                   
  actually finding it ["cat"] being utilized in Alaska.                        
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER said he believed the testimony to have been                  
  that we have not had any known use of this substance in                      
  Alaska.  It does not mean that it is not here, we just have                  
  not heard about it yet.  So we may actually be taking a                      
  preemptory strike here, rather than a reactive strike.                       
                                                                               
  Number 620                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. GREEN asked if we are presently checking for                            
  methcathinone on arrests on people who are acting weird.  He                 
  asked if there is equipment to check for this, seeing a zero                 
  fiscal note.  He thought there must be some sort of test                     
  they do.                                                                     
                                                                               
  Number 625                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER said they probably would not be testing for                  
  consumption, they would be testing the item itself if it                     
  were found on the person.  The Alaska Forensics Lab has the                  
  ability to test for any chemical.                                            
                                                                               
  Number 627                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. PHILLIPS pointed out that the second page of the fiscal                 
  note from the Department of Law addresses that they do not                   
  expect a significant new case load upon the approval of this                 
  bill.  Although an additional case load is not expected,                     
  including the "cat" schedule is important because of danger                  
  to users in the public.                                                      
                                                                               
  Number 637                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN PORTER noted that, remarkably, there are many                       
  people who are very knowledgeable about what is and what is                  
  not against the law in that area, and are guided thereby.                    
                                                                               
  Number 640                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. JAMES made amotion to move SB 220 with individual                       
  recommendations and a zero fiscal note.  The bill was moved.