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Florida Governor and President Trump launch plan to fight opioid crisis

Governor Rick Scott made his next move on the war against the heroin and opioid epidemic this morning. The governor chose the District 3 office of the Manatee County Sheriff's office to sign House Bill 21. The new law limits the prescription of opioids to 3 to 7 days.
Credit: WTSP
Gov. Rick Scott, R-Florida, unveiled is $500 million school safety plan on Feb. 28, 2018, at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The plan is in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Florida continues the fight against heroin and opioid addiction by toughening laws and finding new ways to help addicts each year.

Today, Florida’s governor and President Trump unveiled new plans.

Governor Rick Scott made his next move on the war against the heroin and opioid epidemic this morning. The governor chose the District 3 office of the Manatee County Sheriff’s office to sign House Bill 21. The new law limits the prescription of opioids to 3 to 7 days.

The state also set aside 65 million dollars for drug treatment, recovery, and outreach programs. The money will also enhance the state’s “Prescription Monitoring Data Base.”

Doctors and anyone dispensing prescription drugs is required to check for a patient’s history of opioid use before issuing a new prescription. This will help prevent doctor shopping or flag for signs of addiction.

Governor Scott said, “The bill will help limit the chance of addiction. The most important thing we can do is stop the addiction in the beginning.”

The state also secured 27 million dollars in federal grant money. Last year, a new bill allows law enforcement to charge a dealer with murder if the drugs they sold someone causes their death.

President Trump released his plan this afternoon from New Hampshire. The opioid epidemic was determined last month to be a Public Health Emergency. The President said 116 people die each day from an opioid overdose.

“Failure is not an option….addiction is not our future,” said President Trump.

President Trump has called on Congress to set aside a historic 6 billion dollars to fight the opioid crisis for education, law enforcement, and offer treatment options. He also wants the death penalty for traffickers.

The money will be used to develop non-addictive painkillers. It will also launch a PSA campaign with commercials during targeted shows to tell children how bad opioids are for you. There’s also a new website called Crisis NextDoor.gov where one can share their story of addiction.

The President says American borders need to be secured to reduce the supply of illicit drugs into the country. The president is asking for tougher penalties against drug traffickers by adding the death penalty.

President Trump vows to reduce the number of prescription opioid use by a third.

Next month, the president says he will unveil a plan to make prescription drugs more affordable.

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