Florida Drug & Alcohol Facts

By Dr. Brian Wind Ph.D.

JourneyPure.com doctors follow rigorous sourcing guidelines and cite only trustworthy sources of information, including peer-reviewed journals, count records, academic organizations, highly regarded nonprofit organizations, government reports and their own expertise with decades in the field and their own personal recovery.

Healthy Start. Florida Health; Florida Department of Health. Retrieved 8/24/21, from http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/childrens-health/healthy-start/
Miranda, L., Dickson, V., & Reyes, S. (2015, September 30). How States Handle Drug Use During Pregnancy. ProPublica. https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/maternity-drug-policies-by-state
NIDA. 2020, April 3. Florida: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/florida-opioid-involved-deaths-related-harms on 2021, September 1
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Annual Report 2019-2020. Florida Health; Florida Department of Health. Retrieved 8/24/21, from http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/e-forcse/news-reports/2020-pdmp-annual-report1.pdf
The 2021 Florida Statutes. Online Sunshine; The Florida Legislature. Retrieved 8/22/21, from http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0893/Sections/0893.13.html
(2019). 2018-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Model-Based Prevalence Estimates (50 States and the District of Columbia). SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt32805/2019NSDUHsaeExcelPercents/2019NSDUHsaeExcelPercents/2019NSDUHsaePercents.pdf
(2021, February 12). Drug Overdose Mortality by State. CDC; Center for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/drug_poisoning_mortality/drug_poisoning.htm
(2021). 2020 Florida Statutes. Justia. https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/2020/title-xlvi/chapter-893/section-893-055/

Disclaimer

All content is for informational purposes only. No material on this site, whether from our doctors or the community, is a substitute for seeking personalized professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard advice from a qualified healthcare professional or delay seeking advice because of something you read on this website.

The latest SAMHSA data reports 1.2 million Floridians struggle with substance abuse. That's 3 of every 50 people in the state and a sharp increase previous years. You're in the best place to learn about the addiction problem in Florida and get your questions answered.

Florida Drug Statistics

The Sunshine State had the second highest number of drug overdose deaths in the nation, with 5,268 deaths last year alone.

Florida doctors wrote 53.7 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons, which is higher than the national average of 51.4 prescriptions.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 1,979,000 Floridians admitted to using illicit substances in the past month

Florida Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics

For many years, Florida doctors were notorious for overprescribing drugs, especially opioids. More recently, the state has put multiple laws in place to prevent the over prescription and spread of opioid addiction.

The availability of prescription drugs in Florida has gone down in recent years thanks to E-FORCSE, a prescription drug monitoring database that prevents individuals from obtaining multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors.

Doctors are writing fewer opioid prescriptions- Number of prescriptions has gone down 5.5%
Doctors are prescribing less powerful opioids – Prescriptions are 14.6% less powerful compared to last year

However, constricting the supply of prescription opioids on the street causes some people to switch to heroin when prescription opioids become harder to obtain.

Florida Drug Laws - Possession & Trafficking

Having drugs in your possession is a serious crime in Florida. Florida drug possession laws are divided into five schedules. The severity of the punishment depends on:

The schedule of the drug that you possess
The amount of the substance you possess
Any prior criminal convictions (especially drug-related)

Florida Drug Schedules 1-V

Schedule	Description	Examples
Schedule I	High potential for abuse, No medical use	Heroin, Cannabis (unless prescribed), LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin Mushrooms
Schedule II	High potential for abuse, Restricted medical use	Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone, Morphine, Codeine, Fentanyl, Carfentanil
Schedule III	Some potential for abuse, Accepted for medical use	Buprenorphine, Anabolic Steroids
Schedule IV	Low potential for abuse, Accepted for medical use	Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan
Schedule V	Lowest potential for abuse, Accepted for medical use	Combination medications with low dose narcotics Ex. (tylenol + codeine)

Because of the state’s physical location and geography, Florida is one of the nation’s top drug trafficking hot spots. The laws for dealing or trafficking drugs are based on the same drug scheduling system as possession.

Punishment for Drug Trafficking in Florida

Schedule	Punishment for simple possession (small amounts)	Punishment for selling, dealing or manufacturing
Schedule I	Felony (3rd Degree)	Felony (2nd Degree)
Schedule II	Felony (3rd Degree)	Felony (2nd Degree)
Schedule III	Felony (3rd Degree)	Felony (3rd Degree)
Schedule IV	Felony (3rd Degree)	Felony (3rd Degree)
Schedule V	Misdemeanor (1st Degree)	Misdemeanor (1st Degree)

Although marijuana is a schedule I drug, penalties for possession and distribution are less harsh.

Florida Drug Testing Laws

Florida also has laws on the books surrounding drug testing.

Florida Newborn Drug Testing Laws

Using drugs while pregnant can have disastrous consequences for the child. There are no specific criminal charges for abusing drugs while pregnant in Florida, it falls under the definition of child abuse.

Florida’s Healthy Start program is designed to address substance abuse during pregnancy by giving information, resources and an opportunity for treatment to expecting mothers that struggle with addiction.

Doctors refer expecting mothers to Healthy Start if they if they suspect substance abuse, based on:

Their own declaration or their responses to drug-related questions
Positive drug test
Reported by family member or friend
Medical staff who witness drug use or patterns of drug use
The infant is found to be exposed to illicit drugs in the womb

Florida Drug Testing for Welfare

Florida does not conduct random drug tests on welfare recipients, but the state can test you if they suspect you are abusing substances while on welfare.

Lawmakers in Florida instituted random drug testing for welfare recipients in 2011. Florida drug testing welfare statistics determined the law was not successful and was repealed just a few months later when the courts declared it unconstitutional.

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Florida Drug Statistics

Florida Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics

Florida Drug Laws - Possession & Trafficking

Florida Drug Schedules 1-V

Punishment for Drug Trafficking in Florida

Florida Drug Testing Laws

Florida Newborn Drug Testing Laws

Florida Drug Testing for Welfare

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What is the Marchman Act?

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Does Florida Have Drug Testing for Welfare?

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