“I would like to thank the Governor and the First Lady for their support regarding the Public Health and Safety Crisis Gadsden County is experiencing,” said Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young. “It was amazing to see how quickly the Governor dispatched some of the top officials to assist Gadsden County such as the Surgeon General, the FDLE Commissioner, and the Secretary of DCF.” “More than 6,150 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in 2020. While substance use disorder is a chronic disease that requires clinical oversight, the fentanyl crisis requires us to be all hands on deck across communities — and that is exactly what we are doing,” said Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “Our Department is constantly working to reduce the mortality rate associated with opioid misuse and stimulants and increase the number of people who have access to needed treatments,” said DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris. “Through intentional collaboration with our state and community partners we are working to bring more resources and support to all communities in need.” “The safety of Florida’s citizens and visitors is paramount to FDLE, and illicit deadly drugs like fentanyl do not have a place within safe communities,” said FDLE Acting Commissioner Mark Glass. “When FDLE conducts drug investigations, our goal is always to take down the entire organization. We thank Governor DeSantis for his leadership and for signing HB 95, keeping drug dealers in prison longer and ending their drug dealing days.” To assist in recovery DCF will be deploying more than 200 Narcan kits to treat overdoses and peer-support coordinators to the county. Emergency responders can also obtain free Narcan through the Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support (HEROS) program through DOH. Under the direction of FDLE, the strike force will continue to target fentanyl recovery in northwest Florida. In the first 3 days of operation, the strike force has recovered almost four grams of fentanyl, enough to kill nearly 2,000 Floridians. The state will also ensure that individuals found trafficking fentanyl will be held to the fullest extent of the law. Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed HB 95 into law, enhancing penalties for those selling and distributing opioids. The mandatory minimum sentence for trafficking fentanyl was increased from 3 years to 7 years for 4-14 grams, and from 15 to 20 years for 14-28 grams. Earlier this year, SB 544 was signed into law, granting Floridians the ability to go directly to pharmacists to receive Narcan that can be administered during emergencies. Previously, individuals were required to go through law enforcement to get Narcan to treat those experiencing an overdose. Overdoses involving fentanyl are much faster and stronger than overdoses of other opioids. Fatal overdoses involving fentanyl have nearly doubled since 2018, due to illicit drugs, including marijuana and heroin, containing fentanyl without the user’s knowledge. Floridians struggling with substance use disorders can visit www.isavefl.com to get assistance. ### |