Lawmakers deliver controlled substances bill to Gov. DeSantis
Legislative leaders have officially delivered Gov. Ron DeSantis a proposal to stiffen penalties on drug dealers and change other drug laws.
The measure (HB 95) would broaden a prosecutor’s ability to pursue a first-degree murder charge against a dealer if a drug overdose leads to a person’s death. However, the Republican-led Legislature agreed against decriminalizing fentanyl test strips during ping-pong negotiations over the controlled substance bill.
Under current law, a drug dealer may face the death penalty — or life in prison — if they sell a controlled substance that verifiably caused the death of a consumer. But prosecutors often struggle to convict in cases involving multiple control...
