In our previous post, we began a discussion of the strict drug laws in Florida and how even some conservative lawmakers in the state are reevaluating the application of such harsh laws. Sources suggest that the state's handling of drug crimes is based on a time in the past, and that they need updating in order to reflect what works or what hasn't worked.

One of the biggest concerns among lawmakers for change in Florida's criminal justice system is the reliance upon minimum mandatory sentencing. As the last post stated, a Florida suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for having only a handful of prescription painkillers. Advocates for justice wonder whether that sort of punishment makes sense and works.

The following are some ideas that lawmakers have regarding the improvement of Florida's drug laws:

The convicted drug offender mentioned above was sentenced harshly partly due to a law related to how the system measures the amount of drugs that a suspect supposedly has. In this case, the defendant had painkiller pills. Those pills are made of both legal and controlled substances. Instead of authorities only looking at the weight of the controlled substance, they weigh the entire pill and base a conviction on that.

Lawmakers also continue to push for a change in minimum mandatory sentencing. They feel that cases deserve more individual attention from judges who can then make informed decisions in a person's sentencing. But there have been recent legislative failures in this attempt, so the push for the change in weighing substances may have to be enough for the time being.

The other big point of contention related to drug laws in Florida is the current law that takes proving intent out of the equation when convicting a suspected drug offender. We have covered this issue in the past and will continue to post updates when there are developments in this and the various other drug law matters.

Source

Miami Herald: "Some GOP politicians push to ease Fla. drug laws," Bill Kaczor, Oct. 9, 2011