04/16/2014 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

                     SB 173-SYNTHETIC DRUGS                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:02:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL  NO.   173(JUD),  "An  Act  relating  to  a                                                               
prohibition  on   the  possession,  offer,   display,  marketing,                                                               
advertising for sale, or sale of illicit synthetic drugs."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LYNN moved  HCS  CSSB  173, labeled  28-LS1242\Y,                                                               
Strasbaugh,  4/15/14,  as  the  working  document.    Hearing  no                                                               
objection, Version Y was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:02:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
EDRA  MORLEDGE,  Staff  to  Senator  Kevin  Meyer,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, noted  that there  were suggested  changes regarding                                                               
enforcement  and  penalties as  well  as  a suggestion  regarding                                                               
listing all  the known names  of the  synthetic drugs.   She said                                                               
she   contacted  the   bill  drafter,   Kathleen  Strasbaugh   of                                                               
Legislative Legal and  Research Services, who provided  a memo to                                                               
the  committee and  gave  her opinion  that  the enforcement  and                                                               
penalty section  of SB 173  does not need to  be changed.   If it                                                               
were changed  to a  civil penalty [instead  of a  violation], she                                                               
explained, it  would be  necessary for the  department to  file a                                                               
civil lawsuit in order to prosecute anyone.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:03:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE said  she requested that all of  the [synthetic drug                                                               
product] names be  removed from bill, as the list  will likely be                                                               
outdated soon.   She reminded  the committee that there  were two                                                               
fiscal notes  that were zeroed  out from Public  Defenders Agency                                                               
and the Office  of Public Advocacy that would need  to be adopted                                                               
with this version.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER said he is disappointed  that the list of names will                                                               
not be in the law, but they are on the record.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:04:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER  said he supports  the bill.   The products                                                               
have made  their way  to rural  Alaska, like  Nome, he  said, and                                                               
someone told him  how her son was affected by  "spice" and how it                                                               
wreaked havoc  in his plans  to move forward  in his life.   This                                                               
issue came  up at a rural  Native conference, and his  region has                                                               
come out whole heartedly against these drugs, he declared.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER  thanked Ms. Strasbaugh  for her second  memo, which                                                               
was well done.  He closed public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:06:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN  moved to report  the HCS of CSSB  173 (JUD),                                                               
labeled 28LS-1242\Y,  Strasbaugh, 4/15/14, out of  committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being  no objections,  HCS CSSB 173(JUD)  moved out  of the                                                               
House Judiciary Standing Committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:06:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 2:06 p.m. to 2:08 p.m.