Jennifer Johnson Staff Director (850) 488-1023 johnson.jennifer@oppaga.fl.gov
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OPPAGA Health and Human Services Recommendations Yet to Be Implemented

• Children and Families, Department of
  • Insufficient Information Available to Fully Assess the Success of the Self-Directed Care Program 10-40
    • The Legislature could consider the following options for the Department of Children and Families' Mental Health Self-Directed Care program.

      •Expand the program to one or more additional circuits, which would require additional funding or a reallocation of available community mental health funding unless the Legislature also directs the department to limit program funding to the average cost to serve clients in the traditional community mental health system. If expanded, the Legislature should require the department to improve program accountability as discussed in the first option.
      •Eliminate the program, which would enable the department to serve more individuals through the traditional community mental health system but would also eliminate current participants' ability to obtain certain services.

• Health, Department of
  • Opinions Are Mixed About Sentencing Laws for Painkiller Trafficking 12-02
    • The Legislature could consider modifying the statutory provisions for trafficking in prescriptions through the following six options.

      •Address weight thresholds and sentences for offenses involving hydrocodone by revising Florida statutes so that these offenses will be prosecuted in the same manner as offenses involving other Schedule III drugs.
      •Allow courts to consider committing addicted offenders with minimal prior criminal histories to secure community-based residential drug treatment programs as an alternative to prison.
      •Revise Florida statutes to increase the weight thresholds for prescription painkillers so that it would take more pills to be charged with drug trafficking offenses subject to minimum mandatory sentences.
      •Reduce the minimum mandatory sentence lengths for prescription painkillers so that they are consistent with the penalties for most other drug trafficking offenses, which are 3, 7, and 15 years rather than 3, 15, and 25 years.
      •Modify the method used to calculate the weight of prescription painkillers to only include the weight of the controlled substance rather than the weight of the entire pill.
      •For illegal possession of an amount of prescription painkillers weighing less than 28 grams, require proof of intent to sell to be charged with trafficking; without proof, sanctions for possession would apply. This option also could be limited to first offenses.

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