Drug Sentence Reforms Clear First Committee Stops
February 19th, 2019 by Jake Stofan
Two bills aimed at reforming sentencing for certain drug offenses passed their first Senate committee stop this morning.
The first would change the way a sentence is determined for possession of pills by basing thresholds on the number of pills instead of their weight.
The second bill would give immunity from prosecution to those who report drug overdoses.
Sponsor Senator Jeff Brandes says the two reforms are one of the first steps in a larger push for criminal justice reform.
“Whether it be the bill that moves from weights and looks at actual dosage units or the Good Samaritan Act, which allows people to be free of prosecution if they’re acting in good faith to help somebody who is a friend who is experiencing an overdose, that to me is another step in the right direction as we move towards criminal justice reform,” said Brandes.
Brandes is also sponsoring a number of other criminal justice reforms this session, including the Florida First Step Act.
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