Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Florence SnyderNovember 28, 2016

“We have a spending problem in this state,” says House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Land ‘O Lakes), and nobody in their right mind could argue with him. Florida spends more stupid money than a drunken sailor on shore leave. Any state worker can — if they trust you — rattle off a Top Twenty list of […]

Larry GriffinMay 24, 2016

Sen. Marco Rubio will chair a hearing in Washington D.C. about the heroin epidemic on Thursday. Rubio, in his position as chair of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, will oversee the hearing, which will be titled “Cartels and the U.S. Heroin Epidemic: Combating Drug Violence […]

Scott PowersMay 16, 2016

Florida’s outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio suggested Monday he may be ready to endorse the Republican he wants to follow him into the office. “I’ll have something to say about that in the next couple of days,” Rubio said Monday after meeting in Orlando with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs to discuss Central Florida’s heroin crisis. […]

Scott PowersMay 16, 2016

Sitting with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Florida’s Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio pledged Monday to do whatever he can to help combat the growing heroin crisis, saying federal funds for treatment of uninsured addicts are critical. Jacobs has made Orange County’s heroin crisis a top priority for her efforts, and recently oversaw a task […]

Mitch PerryMarch 29, 2016

The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a series of initiatives aimed at curbing America’s opioid addiction epidemic. The steps will make it easier to get obtain medication-based treatment, expand Medicaid coverage and increase availability of a drug that saves people from overdoses. The president discussed his proposals while appearing at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 26, 2016

In an attempt to staunch the heroin epidemic, Sarasota-area U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said Friday he’s co-sponsoring legislation aimed at curbing the flow of drugs into the U.S. while intensifying education, prevention and treatment programs. In thepast decade, heroin abuse has skyrocketed in the U.S. The rate of heroin-related overdose deaths increased 286 percent between 2002 and 2013. […]

Scott PowersFebruary 25, 2016

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson is pushing for over-the-counter availability of Naloxone, a nasal inhalant drug used to treat people who have overdosed on heroin or opioids. The Orlando Democrat, who is running for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, announced Thursday he has sent a letter to Dr. Stephen Ostroff of the Food and Drug Administration asking […]

Ryan RayNovember 9, 2015

Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took to the airwaves Monday morning on MSNBC’s II Morning Joe, where he told host Joe Scarborough Americans need to change their thinking when it comes to illegal drug use. Asked by a panelist about why Christie is surging in the early primary state of New Hampshire, Christie said his views […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 28, 2015

Our country faces an epidemic. On average, 308 people die every week from prescription opioid pain medications, the vast majority unintentional. Over the past five years, more Americans died from prescription opioid overdose than during the entire Vietnam War. Sadly, our state is not immune from this epidemic. Drug poisoning, has surpassed car accidents as […]

Frank TorresAugust 13, 2015

Orange County said Thursday that its newly formed Heroin Task Force will hold its inaugural meeting on Monday. The task force is being formed to address the 84 percent increase in deaths from the drug since 2013. County officials point to abused prescription use, higher purity levels, easier access to the drug as a key […]

Tag: heroin

For Richard Corcoran, a Sisyphean task

Marco Rubio to host heroin epidemic forum in D.C. Thursday

Marco Rubio may be ready to endorse in U.S. Senate race, defends his own pace

Marco Rubio says federal government needs to provide more treatment funds for uninsured heroin addicts

Vern Buchanan applauds president’s plan to combat heroin addiction and drug abuse

Vern Buchanan co-sponsoring legislation to deal with heroin crisis

Alan Grayson pushes for over-the-counter sales of heroin/opioid overdose medicine Naloxone

Chris Christie on Morning Joe: Drug addiction is a disease

Dr. Julio Gonzalez: Florida takes action to reduce prescription drug, heroin-related deaths

Orange County launches Heroin Task Force on Monday