Dear Florida Legislators
RE:
SB 150 / HB477
As lead organizer of the grassroots community
organization Suncoast Harm Reduction Project, I wish to make the position of
the mothers and families in our community known re: HB 477 / SB 150.
We stand in opposition to both these bills
unless amended to include judicial discretion.
I lost both my sister and my mother to
accidental overdose. I’ve witnessed my son spend 5 days on life support and
then get up and use drugs again. I’ve been to court maybe 50 times with family members
dealing with drug related “crimes”.
Reading this you may find it counterintuitive that I, our organization,
and most of the families we’ve worked with stand against the current Florida
legislation promoting tougher sentencing in the face of our opioid overdose
crisis.
Our collective up close and personal
experiences with the ravages of addictive illness have taught us that more
punitive incarceration is not the answer. As more families become affected by
opioid use, many parents have educated themselves, concluding that we need to
treat this medical disorder as a public health crisis. History shows that
supply never drives demand. Assuming the intent of these bills is to combat
addictive illness, we view these bills as strictly supply interdiction, and
having no effect on the public health crisis. This approach equates to
ineffective use of taxpayer dollars.
In 2015, there were 1,488,707 arrests for drug
law violations. As a country, we are now dealing with the overincarceration of
drug offenders. Those convicted of drug
charges are subject to exclusion from public benefits, housing, college grants,
employment and even voting. Cycling in
and out of the criminal justice system and resulting barriers to social
services has become the greatest roadblocks to sustained employment and
meaningful recovery.
Despite theories that mandatory minimums will
target only those selling specific substances, in practice nearly every
individual suffering from addictive illness finds it necessary - at some point
- to engage in behavior that is often
construed as sales. The resulting mandatory minimum sentences imposed on
vulnerable populations in need of health services creates long term familial
and community voids – these communities report increased violence, which also puts
law enforcement at greater risk of harm.
Increased penalties of the “crack epidemic”
taught us that longer, tougher sentences and mandatory minimums did more harm
than good. Families of color were disproportionally affected, even though rates
of drug use show no racial disparities.
What
is their goal in this overcriminalization?
If it is to curb drug use, it has proven to have gotten worse over the
past 45 years after 1 trillion+ dollars spent.
Can Florida afford to spend a million dollars locking up one person for
life rather than investing in the community with treatment and other
life-saving resources? In
Florida prison spending continues to rise, while spending on addiction
treatment is gutted.
We urgently call for health-oriented
strategies to stop the irresponsible waste of lives, dollars and resources.
Julia Negron, CAS
Suncoast Harm Reduction Project
Sarasota / Manatee counties
www.floridashrp.org
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