I'm Supervisor Joel Engario, Vice Chair of the Committee.

And to my left is Supervisor Dorsey.

The clerk is Ms.

Monique Creighton.

Also, I'd like to thank Corwin Cooley for at SFGov TV for staffing this meeting.

Madam Clerk, do you have any announcements?

Yes, please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices.

Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk.

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda.

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right.

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways.

First, you may email them to myself, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee clerk at M O N I Q U E.

C R A Y T O N at S F G-O V dot O R G, or you may send your written comments via U.S.

Postal Service to our office in City Hall.

Number one, Dr.

Carlton Be Goodlit Place, Room 244, San Francisco, California 94102.

If you submit public comment in writing, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file in which you are commenting.

Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of July 23rd, 2024 unless otherwise stated.

Before we begin today's meeting, I'd like to make a motion to excuse Supervisor Catherine Stephanie.

And on the motion to excuse uh Supervisor Catherine Stephanie, Vice Chair and Guardio.

Aye.

Vice Chair and Guardio, I.

Member Dorsey.

Member Dorsey, I have two eyes with Chair Stephanie Excused.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the first item?

Yes, the first item is an ordinance amending the health code to require each retail pharmacy in San Francisco that stocks control substance prescription drugs to stock sufficient bupore for norphin to provide for at least two new prescriptions, provide for an affirmative defense for retail pharmacy pharmacies that order replacement prescriptions and establish penalties for violating this requirement to stock sufficient bupore buporphin.

I would like to note that this item will be presented as a committee report at the July 16th Board of Supervisors meeting.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

This item is sponsored by Supervisor Dorsey's office.

I will turn it over to Dr.

Jeffrey Haum from the Department of Public Health to present.

Oh, uh Cheryl.

Sure.

Thank you.

Uh Chair Engardio, I just wanted to say a few words to um introduce this.

Um the legislation before this committee today would require all retail pharmacies in San Francisco to stock buprenorphine, a gold standard medication for opioid use disorder that is known to relieve withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings, facilitate long-term recovery, and cut mortality risk by as much as 50%.

If San Francisco is to succeed in supporting and incentivizing long-term recovery from addiction, ensuring the availability of buprenorphine at our local pharmacies must be part of it.

And few surpstances ever to emerge in our illicit drug supply have ever been more potently addictive or more deadly than the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Today, anyone making the brave and difficult choice to seek recovery from an opioid use disorder, and especially one involving fentanyl, is racing the clock.

They face overpowering cravings and debilitating withdrawal symptoms.

And if life-saving medications like bufenorphine aren't readily available to offer relief, we know that life-threatening street drugs abound as alternatives.

That's why it is a moral imperative to expand access to medically assisted treatment in the midst of the drug overdose crisis we face.

I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to the Department of Public Health for identifying local problems with buprenorphine uh availability and for recommending this worthwhile approach to address it.

Thanks in particular to Dr.

Jeff Raham for his leadership and his partnership on this.

I will give a shout out as well to Dr.

Colfax and Dr.

Cunnins for their work and just being such a partner to me.

Um, as you as you know, this is this is something that for me is personal.

It is why I asked for a job that I never thought I would want, let alone have.

Um, so I really do value the work that you're doing.

Um, I want to express my gratitude also to Supervisors Mandelman, uh, Ronan, uh Preston, and Peskin, for agreeing to co-sponsor this, which will support long-term recovery and help save lives.

So thank you again, Dr.

Hom, and uh thank you, Chair and Guardio.

Thank you.

Uh Dr.

Haum, please.

Great, thank you.

And good morning, Vice Chair Ingardio, Supervisor Dorsey, thank you very much for those comments.

Um, and thank you for the chance to say a few words about this uh about this proposed ordinance.