HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10221985 - 1.63 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS "
0 - I Contra
FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator
1& Costa
DATE: October 14 , 1985 County
SUBJECT: Report from Drug Abuse Board on "Designer Drugs"
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
Acknowledge receipt of report from the Drug Abuse Board, in
response to Board referral of July 16, 1985 and authorize
the Chairwoman to send a letter to Governor Deukmejian
expressing the Board' s concerns regarding the Governor' s
veto of additional drug funds from the 1985-1986 State
Budget.
BACKGROUND:
On July 16 , the Board received a presentation from the Drug
Abuse Board. At that time, the Board of Supervisors
indicated its concern with the growing problem of "designer
drugs" which are slightly altered chemical compositions
which, because of their altered composition, are not yet
specifically illegal, but have been found to be far more
powerful and dangerous than heroin. At 'the same time, the
Board of Supervisors was made aware of the Governor ' s veto
of additional funds which had been approved by the
Legislature.
The Drug Abuse Board has now filed the attached report with
the Board of Supervisors and has prepared a suggested letter
to' send to the Governor.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: L7�C
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
X APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S)
ACTION OF BOARD ON October 22, 1985 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _ OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
OF SUPERVISOR 7NfE DATE SHOWN.
County Administrator /?e
CC: Health Services Director ATTESTED —
Chairman, Drug Abuse Board PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
M382/7-88 BY /�?,( DEPUTY
4
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT
ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE/MENTAL HEALTH
DIVISION
To: Board Of Supervisors Date: September 25, 1985
From: Drug Abuse Advisory Board Subject: Information on Controlled
Substances Analogs
Jack ChamplJPro' ram
Acting Drug Chief
There is a growing problem of controlled susbstances analogs, commonly known as
"designer drugs," which are in most instances analogs of the fentanyl family of
synthetic opiates. Fentanyl itself is currently covered as a Schedule II drug
which has some legitimate medical uses. There is, however, no general provision
in present law which covers the two base structures from which all forms of fen—
tanyl are derived (acetylfentanyl and acetylthiofentanyl). AB 2401, expected to
be on the Governor' s desk for signature amends Schedule II to cover these two
compounds and all their derivatives, thus encompassing the entire fentanyl
family.
There has been a substantial increase in the manufacture and sale of fentanyl
derivatives in recent years. Such drugs, which are easier to produce than LSD,
are being manufactured by clandestine laboratories and sold on the street
misrepresented as heroin ("China White") or designer drugs ("new heroin").
These slightly altered chemical compounds of narcotic analgesics mimic heroin in
look and effect.
These drugs, however, are far more potent than heroin or morphine. They also do
not mix well when "cut", thus resulting in wide variations in strength. The
average found by State laboratories ranged from 100 to 1,000 times as strong as
morphine, with some samples testing more than 10,000 times as strong as
morphine. The extreme and unstable potency of these drugs inevitably leads to
disasterous consequences for the consumer -- approximately 100 deaths in recent
years in California. Officials now estimate that the growing use of designer
drugs is claiming five lives a month from overdoses.
Contra Costa County has seen an increasing street distribution of these drugs in
the past two years with resultant overdoses and nine deaths to date attributed
to Fentanyl. There may have been more, but as little as three parts per
trillion in laboratory analysis to determine positive tests of these drugs make
sure identification difficult.
Attachment "A"
Contra Costa County
Drug Abuse Program Unment Needs
Estimated
Annual
Cost
(A.) 1 adult outpatient counselor $ 30,000
(B.) Six bed residential drug treatment program for women with children 150,000
(C. ) Adult residential re—entry program 30,000
(D.) Augment adolescent outpatient staff by 4 F.T.E. counselors 120,000
(E. ) Community school based prevention programs for children and 200,000
adolescents
(F. ) Adolescent wilderness prevention/early intervention program with 40,000
minority community focus
(G. ) Adolescent residential drug treatment program — 18 bed 250,000
(H. ) Ten percent COLA for current contract programs 45,000
staff and additional program operational increases
Board of Supervisors
9/25/85
Page 2
Apprehension of the chemist(s) responsible for these substances is unlikely.
According to Gary Henderson, contract chemist for the State Department of
Alcohol and Drug Programs, "I doubt very much if the guy who made China White
has a lab set up. Most likely, he made a few grams of the drug - millions of
doses - and then shut up his shop. Or maybe he made all the varying analogs
(for Fentanyl) at once and is parceling them out one at a time. No lab has ever
been seized."
JC/ln
DRUG ABUSE BOARD ACK, RECEIPT OF REPORT
2 . DESIGNER DRUGS LTR TO GOVENOR AUTN _�