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AB-37 • 2026

Furnishing hypodermic needles and syringes.

Furnishing hypodermic needles and syringes.

Healthcare Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Elhawary
Last action
Official status
Assembly - Died - Business and Professions
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text states no reimbursement is required for a 'specified reason' but does not list that specific reason in the provided summary or digest.

Expanding Needle Access and Studying Mental Health Workers

This law allows delegates of doctors or pharmacists to give out needles without a prescription and requires the California Workforce Development Board to study how to hire more mental health workers for homeless people.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a delegate of a physician or pharmacist to furnish hypodermic needles and syringes to adults aged 18 or older without a prescription.
  • Requires the California Workforce Development Board to study how to expand the workforce of mental health service providers for homeless persons.
  • States that no state reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Delegates of physicians or pharmacists authorized to furnish needles and syringes.
  • Adults aged 18 years or older seeking hypodermic needles and syringes for personal use.
  • The California Workforce Development Board tasked with studying mental health staffing.

Terms To Know

Delegee
A person authorized by a physician or pharmacist to perform specific tasks, such as providing needles and syringes.
Hypodermic needle and syringe
Medical tools used for human use that can be furnished without a prescription under this law.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify which types of delegates are allowed to provide needles.
  • The study on mental health workers is required, but the final results or timeline are not included in this text.
  • No state reimbursement is required for a specified reason, though the specific details of that reason are not listed here.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Assembly - Died - Business and Professions

Official Summary Text

Furnishing hypodermic needles and syringes.