PUBLIC LAW 102-335—AUG. 7, 1992 106 STAT. 859 Public Law 102-335 102d Congress An Act To provide for the management of Federal lands containing the Pacific yew to ensure a sufficient supply of taxol, a cancer-treating drug made from the Pacific yew. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. (a) SHORT TITLE.— This Act may be cited as the "Pacific Yew Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND DEFINITIONS. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress finds the following: (1) Over 12,000 women die each year from ovarian cancer and 44,500 women diefi*ombreast cancer. (2) Taxol, a drug madefi*omthe Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), has been successfiil in treating ovarian cancer in clinical trials and shows promise in the treatment of breast cancer and other types of cancer. (3) The production of small amounts of taxol currently requires the use of large numbers of Pacific yew. (4) The Pacific yew is a slow-growing tree species found in the Western United States. (5) Significant numbers of Pacific yew trees are found in old-growth forests on Federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. (6) Before the importance of taxol was discovered, the Pacific yew was considered a trash tree and was often burned in slash piles after timber operations. (7) Remaining Pacific yew resources must be carefully managed in order to ensure a steady supply of taxol for the treatment of cancer, while also providing for the long-term conservation of the species. (8) Appropriate management guidelines must be implemented promptly in order to prevent any wasting of the Pacific yew in current and future timber sales on Federal lands, while successful and affordable alternative methods of manufacturing taxol are being developed. (b) PURPOSES. —The purposes of this Act are to contribute to the successful treatment of cancer by ensuring that Pacific yew trees located on lands of the National Forest System and on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management are managed to— (1) provide for the efficient collection and utilization of those parts of the Pacific yew that can be used in the manufacture of teixol for the treatment of cancer; (2) provide for the sale of Pacific yew from such lands for the commercial production and subsequent sale of taxol at a reasonable cost to csmcer patients; Aug. 7, 1992 [H.R. 3836] Pacific Yew Act. Forests and forest products. 16 USC 4801 note. 16 USC 4801.
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