Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act

Summary: Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study strategies for preventing and treating the use of synthetic recreational drugs, which are substances marketed for recreational use (regardless of claims to the contrary) that are analogous to a controlled substance and are not medications. The Department of Health and Human Services must coordinate with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to establish and maintain a database of synthetic recreational drugs. The database must be publicly available for use in preventing and treating the use of synthetic recreational drugs. The CDC, in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Health, and the DEA, must develop and implement a national outreach campaign to educate law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, community members, and others about preventing and treating the use of substances similar to marijuana (cannabimimetic agents). The CDC may award grants to federally qualified health centers for public awareness programs regarding substances similar to marijuana. To carry out a public awareness program, grant recipients may partner with recipients of Drug-Free Communities Support Program grants.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Synthetic Drug Prevention, 
Treatment, and Education Act''.

SEC. 2. SYNTHETIC RECREATIONAL DRUGS.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 317T of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-22) the following:

``SEC. 317U. SYNTHETIC RECREATIONAL DRUGS.

    ``(a) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
the Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act, the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in this 
section referred to as the `Director') shall--
            ``(1) complete a study on strategies for preventing and 
        treating the use of synthetic recreational drugs (as identified 
        pursuant to subsection (b)(3)), including best rehabilitation 
        practices; and
            ``(2) submit a report to the Congress on the results of 
        such study.
    ``(b) Database.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, shall 
        establish and maintain a database of synthetic recreational 
        drugs.
            ``(2) Availability.--The Secretary shall make the 
        information in the database under paragraph (1) publicly 
        available for use in preventing and treating the use of 
        synthetic recreational drugs.
            ``(3) Identification of synthetic recreational drugs.--
        Beginning not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of the Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and 
        Education Act, for purposes of this section, the Secretary 
        shall specify (and update as necessary) a list of substances, 
        each of which shall satisfy the following criteria:
                    ``(A) The substance is an analogue of a controlled 
                substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled 
                Substances Act).
                    ``(B) The substance is not marketed as a drug (as 
                defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
                Cosmetic Act).
                    ``(C) The substance is determined by the Secretary 
                to be marketed for recreational human use, irrespective 
                of claims to the contrary in the labeling and promotion 
                of the substance.
        Each substance identified on the most recent list specified by 
        the Secretary pursuant to this paragraph is referred to in this 
        section as a `synthetic recreational drug'.
    ``(c) Cannabimimetic Agents.--
            ``(1) Outreach campaign.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of enactment of the Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, 
        and Education Act, the Director, in collaboration with the 
        Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the 
        Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Director 
        of the National Institutes of Health, and the Administrator of 
        the Drug Enforcement Administration, shall develop and 
        implement a national outreach campaign to educate law 
        enforcement personnel, State and local agencies, health care 
        professionals, community health organizations, parents, youth, 
        and other community members about preventing and treating the 
        use of cannabimimetic agents.
            ``(2) Grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director may make grants to 
                Federally-qualified health centers for programs to 
                increase public awareness about, and prevent and treat, 
                the use of cannabimimetic agents.
                    ``(B) Partnership.--A Federally-qualified health 
                center receiving a grant under subparagraph (A) for a 
                program, may, to the extent such program is with 
                respect to increasing awareness about, or preventing, 
                the use of cannabimimetic agents, partner with a 
                recipient of grant under section 1032 of the National 
                Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 (21 U.S.C. 1532) to 
                carry out such elements of the program.
                    ``(C) Maximum amount.--The maximum amount of a 
                grant under this section shall be $250,000.
                    ``(D) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry 
                out this paragraph, there is authorized to be 
                appropriated $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 
                2018 through 2020.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `cannabimimetic agent' has the meaning given 
        to that term in section 202(d)(2) of the Controlled Substances 
        Act.
            ``(2) The term `Federally-qualified health center' has the 
        meaning given to such term in section 1861(aa) of the Social 
        Security Act.''.