Two separate police brutality cases are pending before the Boynton Beach City Commission. They are likely to settle both cases, costing the city a projected $114,000. Though the details on one case are limited, the city’s willingness to settle indicates that there is some significant truth to the plaintiffs’ allegations.
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Unintended Consequences of War on Florida’s Pill Mills
In 2010, it was called the “single greatest challenge to the state’s public health and safety,” according to Florida drug czar Bruce Grant. The unlawful prescription drug trade was in full swing, with pill mills doling out powerfully addictive pills left and right and the number of Floridians being killed by otherwise legal drugs growing exponentially. The problem was met with swift action and a collective effort by state, federal, and local authorities. Now it seems to be coming under control, but the fight hasn’t been all positive. [Read more…]
Florida Medical Marijuana Bill Fails to Advance
Update: This post is from early 2013. The 2014 medical marijuana ballot initiative is approved and ready to go before the voters in November.
It’s been an impressive turnaround in just a year, thanks to the incredibly hard work of organizations like United for Care.
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Despite the fact that an estimated 70% of Floridians support medical marijuana, lawmakers have failed to move a bill that would put the framework for such a system in place. The “Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act” didn’t even make it to hearing. While one lawmaker is promising to reintroduce an updated version next year, some are hoping to get it to the ballot instead.
FL Treatment Providers See More Heroin Addicts, Blame Prescription Crackdown
What happens when you take away someone’s drugs without helping them kick a habit? Apparently, they look for another way to get high. That’s what many treatment providers and detox experts in Florida say is happening to the state’s prescription drug addicts. [Read more…]
Drug Problems Increasing in People Over 50
Usually, when we talk about drug use trends, we think of teens or young adults. Even if we consider drug use among adults, we rarely think about the elderly and drug problems. However, recent data suggests that’s where we should be spending some more attention—as drugs are affecting an increasing number of people over the age of 50. [Read more…]
Determined Activists Petition Florida’s Attorney General in Hope of Reclassifying Marijuana
In the last 10 years, the landscape of marijuana reform in the United States has transformed drastically; It’s much more green. There are now 18 states, including Washington, D.C., that have legalized medical marijuana in one form or another. Thirteen states have decriminalized it, and two have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. [Read more…]
Oxycodone Deaths Down, Other Drug Deaths Up in FL
Oxycodone addiction is a serious problem. It’s one of the most popular prescription drugs to abuse and it’s been at the center of Florida’s war on “pill mills”. Indications are that Floridians are using less of it. But the bad news is that drug related deaths overall are up. [Read more…]
Governor Rick Scott’s Opposition to Drug Sentencing Reform
A group of “tax watchdogs” and business lobbyists are working to create a program of justice reform. They are hoping to draft legislation that would create alternatives to incarceration, saving taxpayers money and hopefully reducing recidivism. But, they are also bracing for possible opposition from Gov. Rick Scott. [Read more…]
Fort Lauderdale “Pill Mill” Busted, 10 Arrested
In the past few years, the state of Florida has seen numerous pill mills move out, as lawmakers have passed stricter laws and law enforcement have cracked down. But these clinics of questionable ethics are still around, as was shown this week in Fort Lauderdale where 10 people including seven doctors were arrested. [Read more…]
Florida Supreme Court Rules You Don’t Have to Know it was Drugs
You don’t have to know you were carrying illegal drugs in order to be convicted of a drug offense, according to a Florida State Supreme Court ruling. [Read more…]