Draconian Penalties Remain Despite Decrease in Fentanyl Overdose Fatalities
The worst thing about the holiday season in Florida is the endless stream of Christmas carols that play in every store and pipe through the loudspeakers of every walkable outdoor recreation district. They are unimaginative pop and jazz arrangements punctuated with sleigh bells, and the lyrics are about snowflakes and staying warm in the winter with your beloved. It is enough to turn even the cheeriest person, even the kind who will gladly sweat through a tacky Christmas sweater in the Florida heat, into a Grinch. The schmaltzy holiday music reminds some people of winters they have spent near functioning fireplaces when there is genuine snow outside. In Florida, drugs play a role in many people’s holiday gloom, before and after the umpteenth remix of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” sends them spiraling. Perhaps the family member with whom they long to spend the holidays died an untimely death because of drugs, or maybe he or she is serving a prison sentence so far away that the family member on the outside has neither the time nor the money to visit during their brief break from work during the holidays. In other cases, the relationship has unraveled because of addiction, and reaching out during the holidays would only open old wounds. These associations color jurors’ responses to drug cases, as well as prosecutors’ approach to them, but we can only hope that this will change in light of recent trends. If you are facing charges for possession of counterfeit prescription pills this holiday season, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.
Finally, Some Good News About the Fentanyl Epidemic
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its most recent report on drug crime statistics in November 2024. The report is based on data collected between June 2023 and June 2024, and, for once, it contains some hopeful news. Fatal overdoses on fentanyl were 14 percent lower in the most recent reporting period than in the previous year, and they were the lowest they have been since fentanyl-related deaths started increasing a decade ago after the pill mills closed down.
Furthermore, law enforcement found less fentanyl in the illegal drug supply. Due to its low price, fentanyl is a common ingredient in counterfeit prescription pills. In recent years, it has been present in about 70 percent of the counterfeit prescription pills confiscated during drug busts. During the most recent reporting period, though, only 50 percent of the pills tested in crime labs contained fentanyl. This is probably because fentanyl is not as cheap as it was a few years ago.
While all of this is encouraging, the legal consequences of illegal possession of fentanyl have not changed. You can still get felony charges for possession of even a small quantity of fentanyl.
Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases
A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are a defendant in a drug case involving counterfeit prescription pills. Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
dea.gov/press-releases/2024/11/15/deas-third-annual-national-family-summit-fentanyl-highlights-progress#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20CDC%2C%20the,potentially%20deadly%20dose%20of%20fentanyl.
