AB37 - Furnishing hypodermic needles and syringes.

Amended IN Assembly January 05, 2026 Amended IN Assembly March 13, 2025 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 37 Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary December 02, 2024 An act to add Section 14014.5 to the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to workforce development. amend Section 4145.5 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 37, as amended, Elhawary. Workforce development: mental health service providers: homelessness. Furnishing hypodermic needles and syringes. Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law authorizes a physician or pharmacist to, without a prescription or permit, furnish hypodermic needles and syringes for human use to a person 18 years of age or older, and authorizes a person 18 years of age or older to, without a prescription or license, obtain hypodermic needles and syringes solely for personal use from a physician or pharmacist, as a public health measure, as specified. Existing law, when no other penalty is provided, makes a knowing violation of the Pharmacy Law a misdemeanor and, in all other instances, makes a violation punishable as an infraction. This bill would expand the above-described provisions to authorize a delegee of a physician or pharmacist to furnish hypodermic needles and syringes for human use to a person 18 years of age or older. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system and the alignment of the education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. Existing law requires the board to assist the Governor in certain activities, including the review and technical assistance of statewide policies, programs, and recommendations to support workforce development systems in the state, as specified. This bill would require the board to study how to expand the workforce of mental health service providers who provide services to homeless persons. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 4145.5 of the Business and Professions Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 685 of the Statutes of 2025, is amended to read: 4145.5. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a pharmacist or physician may, without a prescription or a permit, furnish hypodermic needles and syringes for human use, and a person may, without a prescription or license, obtain hypodermic needles and syringes from a pharmacist or physician for human use, if the furnisher has previously been provided a prescription or other proof of a legitimate medical need requiring a hypodermic needle or syringe to administer a medicine or treatment. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, as a public health measure intended to prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other bloodborne diseases among persons who use syringes and hypodermic needles, and to prevent subsequent infection of sexual partners, newborn children, or other persons, a physician or pharmacist pharmacist, or their delegee, may, without a prescription or a permit, furnish hypodermic needles and syringes for human use to a person 18 years of age or older, and a person 18 years of age or older may, without a prescription or license, obtain hypodermic needles and syringes solely for personal use from a physician or pharmacist. pharmacist, or their delegee. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a pharmacist, veterinarian, or person licensed pursuant to Section 4141 may, without a prescription or license, furnish hypodermic needles and syringes for use on animals, and a person may, without a prescription or license, obtain hypodermic needles and syringes from a pharmacist, veterinarian, or person licensed pursuant to Section 4141 for use on animals. (d) A pharmacy that furnishes nonprescription hypodermic needles and syringes shall store hypodermic needles and syringes in a manner that ensures that they are available only to authorized personnel, and are not accessible to other persons. (e) In order to provide for the safe disposal of hypodermic needles and syringes, a pharmacy or hypodermic needle and syringe exchange program that furnishes nonprescription hypodermic needles and syringes shall counsel consumers on safe disposal and provide consumers with one or more of the following disposal options: (1) It shall establish an onsite, safe, hypodermic needle and syringe collection and disposal program that meets applicable state and federal standards for collection and disposal of medical sharps waste. (2) It shall furnish, or make available, mail-back sharps containers authorized by the United States Postal Service that meet applicable state and federal requirements for the transport of medical sharps waste, and shall provide tracking forms to verify destruction at a certified disposal facility. (3) It shall furnish, or make available, a sharps container that meets applicable state and federal standards for collection and disposal of medical sharps waste. (f) A pharmacy that furnishes nonprescription syringes shall provide written information or verbal counseling to consumers at the time of furnishing or sale of nonprescription hypodermic needles or syringes on how to do the following: (1) Access drug treatment. (2) Access testing and treatment for HIV and hepatitis C. (3) Safely dispose of sharps waste. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution. SECTION 1. Section 14014.5 is added to the Unemployment Insurance Code , to read: 14014.5. The board shall study how to expand the workforce of mental health service providers who provide services to homeless persons.