The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Rules
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190
INTRODUCER: Criminal Justice Committee; Judiciary Committee; and Senator Brodeur
SUBJECT: Controlled Substances
DATE: February 14, 2022 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Ravelo Cibula JU Fav/CS
2. Erickson Jones CJ Fav/CS
3. Ravelo Phelps RC Favorable
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/CS/SB 190 addresses two recommendations of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse
(Task Force) and creates an exception to the definition of “drug paraphernalia.”
The bill amends s. 782.04, F.S., which punishes an adult for first degree murder if the adult
unlawfully distributes a listed controlled substance or a mixture containing the substance, when it
is proven that the substance or mixture was the proximate cause of a user’s death. The bill adds
methamphetamine to the list of scheduled controlled substances applicable to the offense and
makes conforming changes. The addition of methamphetamine was a recommendation by the
Task Force.
The bill also amends s. 893.13, F.S., to create an enhanced penalty for the sale of a controlled
substance if the offense is committed within 1,000 feet of certain facilities that often provide
health care and substance abuse treatment. Depending on the substance, the enhancement
increases a third degree felony to a second degree felony, and increases a second degree felony
to a first degree felony. This change was also recommended by the Task Force.
Finally, the bill amends s. 893.145, F.S., to exclude from the definition of “drug paraphernalia”
narcotic drug testing products that are used to determine whether a controlled substance contains
fentanyl or a fentanyl analog.
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190 Page 2
The Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) preliminarily estimates
that the bill will have a “positive indeterminate” prison bed impact (an unquantifiable increase in
prison beds). See Section V. Fiscal Impact Statement.
The bill takes effect October 1, 2022.
II. Present Situation:
On April 1, 2019, citing an increase in the number of opioid-caused deaths in Florida, Governor
DeSantis created the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse (Task Force).1 The Governor
directed the Task Force to develop a statewide strategy to identify best practices to combat the
opioid epidemic through education, treatment, prevention, recovery, and law enforcement, and to
compile a report containing legislative recommendations. Two specific recommendations made
by the Task Force relating to law enforcement included:
Adding methamphetamine as a controlled substance qualifying for prosecution as a first
degree murder offense when its distribution proximately causes the user’s death; and
Enhancing criminal penalties for the sale of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of
substance abuse treatment facilities.2
The Task Force’s report did not address the proximate cause requirement for the capital offense
of the unlawful distribution of certain controlled substances resulting in the death of the user.
Murder by Unlawful Distribution of Certain Controlled Substances
Section 782.04(1)(a)3., F.S., provides that first degree murder includes unlawfully killing of a
human being which resulted from the unlawful distribution by a person 18 years of age or older
of any of the following substances, or mixture containing any of the following substances, when
such substance or mixture is proven to be the proximate cause of the death of the user:
A Schedule I controlled substance;3
Cocaine;
Opium or any synthetic or natural salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium;
Methadone;
Alfentanil;
Carfentanil;
Fentanyl;
Sufentanil; or
A controlled substance analog of any of the above-listed controlled substances.4
1
Fla. Exec. Order No. 19-97 (April 1, 2019), available at https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/EO-19-97.pdf
(last visited on Feb. 3, 2022).
2
Florida Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse, Findings and Recommendation of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid
Abuse, 45 (April 1, 2020), available at https://doseofrealityfl.com/pdfs/opioid-task-force-findings-recommendations-opioid-
abuse.pdf (last visited on Feb. 3, 2022).
3
See s. 893.03(1), F.S.
4
A “controlled substance analog” is defined in s. 893.0356(2)(a), F.S., as a substance which, due to its chemical structure and
potential for abuse, meets the following criteria:
Is substantially similar to that of a controlled substance listed in Schedule I or Schedule II of s. 893.03, F.S.; and
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190 Page 3
First degree murder is a capital felony,5 punishable by death or life imprisonment.6
Third Degree Murder – Exclusion of Unlawful Distribution of Certain Controlled
Substances
Section 782.04(4), F.S., provides that it is third degree murder, a second degree felony,7 when an
unlawful killing of a human being, was perpetrated without any design to effect death, by a
person engaged in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate any felony other than any
felony listed in subsection (4). This list of excluded felonies includes unlawful distribution by a
person 18 years of age or older of any of the following substances when such substance is proven
to be the proximate cause of the death of the user:
A Schedule I controlled substance;
Cocaine; or
Opium or any synthetic or natural salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium.8
Florida Standard Jury Instructions for Murder by Unlawful Distribution of Certain
Controlled Substances
The Florida Standard Jury instructions for murder by unlawful distribution of certain controlled
substances defines proximate cause as conduct “that was the primary or moving cause of the
death; the death would not have occurred but for the defendant’s conduct; and the death was a
natural and reasonably anticipated consequence of the defendant’s conduct.”9 Because the
instruction requires the substance be the primary cause of death, a prosecutor may encounter
certain scenarios where he or she cannot prove a specific substance was the primary cause of
death. A victim may, for example, have ingested lethal amounts of both cocaine and opium, each
of which could have caused his or her death. Prosecutors have reported difficulty obtaining
convictions in scenarios such as this, as it is virtually impossible to determine if something was
the primary cause if there are multiple sufficient possibilities that were all equally lethal.10
Crimes with an Element of Causation
The Florida Supreme Court has identified “two distinct subelements” of causation for crimes that
include an element of causation.11
Has a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system or is represented or intended to have a
stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system substantially similar to or greater than that of
a controlled substance listed in Schedule I or Schedule II of s. 893.03, F.S.
5
Section 782.04(1)(a)3., F.S
6
Section 782.082, F.S.
7
A second degree felony is punishable by up to 15 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Sections 775.082 and
775.083, F.S.
8
Section 782.04(4)(l), F.S.
9
Fla. Std. Jury Instr. (Crim.) 7.3(a) (emphasis added by staff), available at https://www-
media.floridabar.org/uploads/2021/04/7.3aCrimJI.rtf (last visited on Feb. 3, 2022); and Aumuller v. State, 944 So 2d 1137,
1141-1142 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006).
10
Office Memorandum to Bob Cortes from Daniel E. Faggard, Assistant State Attorney, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Re:
Substantial Factor Test (Feb. 5, 2021) (on file with the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice).
11
Eversely v. State, 748 So.2d 963, 966 (Fla. 1999). Courts consider “two basic questions in determining proximate cause:
(1) whether the prohibited result of the defendant’s conduct is beyond the scope of any fair assessment of the danger created
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190 Page 4
As legal scholars have recognized, before a defendant can be convicted of a crime that
includes an element of causation, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the
defendant’s conduct was (1) the “cause in fact” and (2) the “legal cause” (often called
“proximate cause” of the relevant harm.12
Typically, to establish the “cause in fact” subelement, the State “must demonstrate that ‘but for’
the defendant’s conduct, the harm would not have occurred.”13 “A defendant can rebut this
showing by demonstrating that the harm would have occurred in any event, regardless of the
defendant’s conduct.”14 However, “[i]n those rare circumstances where ‘two causes, each alone
sufficient to bring about the harmful result, operate together to cause it,’ the ‘but for’ test
becomes impossible to prove”15 and “the State may prove the “‘cause-in-fact’ causation by
demonstrating that the defendants conduct was a ‘substantial factor’ in bringing about the
harm.”16
Controlled Substance Offenses Committed Within 1,000 Feet of Certain Places
Florida law prohibits a person from selling, manufacturing, or delivering, or possession with the
intent to do the same, a controlled substance.17 The penalty for selling a controlled substance
varies depending on several factors, including the type and amount of the substance sold and the
location where the sale takes place. Generally, the sale, etc., of a controlled substance is
punishable as either a second degree felony or third degree felony.18 However, these felony
penalties are enhanced (by one felony degree) if the sale, etc., occurs within 1,000 feet of the real
property of specified locations, including a:
Child care facility;
Public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school;
State, county, or municipal park;
Community center or publicly owned recreational facility;
Public or private college, university, or other postsecondary institution;
Physical place of worship at which a church or religious organization regularly conducts
religious services;
Convenience business;
Public housing facility; or
Assisted living facility.19
by the defendant’s conduct and (2) whether it would be otherwise unjust, based on fairness and policy considerations, to hold
the defendant criminally responsible for the prohibited result.” Id. at 967 (citations omitted).
12
Id. at 966-967 (citations omitted).
13
Id. at 967 (citations omitted).
14
Id. (citation omitted).
15
Id., quoting 1 Wayne R. LaFave & Austin W. Scott, Jr., Substantive Criminal Law s. 3.12, at 394 (footnote and other
citations omitted).
16
Id. (citations omitted).
17
Section 893.13, F.S.
18
Section 893.13(1), F.S. A third degree felony is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
Sections 775.082 and 775.083, F.S.
19
See s. 893.13(1)(c), (d), (e), (f), and (h), F.S.
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190 Page 5
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
The bill addresses two recommendations of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse (Task
Force) and creates an exception to the definition of “drug paraphernalia.”
Section 1 of the bill amends s. 782.04, F.S., which punishes an adult for first degree murder if
the adult unlawfully distributes a listed controlled substance or a mixture containing the
substance when it is proven that the substance or mixture was the proximate cause of a user’s
death. The bill adds methamphetamine to the list of scheduled controlled substances applicable
to the offense and makes conforming changes. The addition of methamphetamine was a
recommendation by the Task Force.
Section 2 of the bill amends s. 893.13, F.S., to create an enhanced penalty for the sale of a
controlled substance if the offense is committed within 1,000 feet of certain facilities that often
provide health care and substance abuse treatment. This change was also recommended by the
Task Force. The facilities covered include any:
Mental health facility under ch. 394, F.S.;20
Health care facility licensed under ch. 395, F.S.,21 which provides substance abuse treatment;
Licensed service provider as defined in s. 397.311, F.S.;22
Facility providing services that include clinical treatment, intervention, or prevention as
described in s. 397.311(26), F.S.;23
Recovery residence as defined in s. 397.311, F.S.;24 or
Pain management clinic as defined in ss. 458.3265(1)(a)1.c. or s. 459.0137(1)(a)1.c., F.S.25
Depending upon the controlled substance, the enhancement increases a third degree felony to a
second degree felony, and increases a second degree felony to a first degree felony.26
20
Section 394.455(17), F.S., defines “facility” as any hospital, community facility, public or private facility, or receiving or
treatment facility providing for the evaluation, diagnosis, care, treatment, training, or hospitalization of persons who appear
to have or who have been diagnosed as having a mental illness or substance abuse impairment. The term does not include a
program or an entity licensed under ch. 400, F.S. (nursing homes and related facilities) or ch. 429 (assisted care
communities).
21
Section 395.002(17), F.S., defines a “licensed facility” as a hospital or ambulatory surgical center licensed in accordance
with ch. 395, F.S. (hospital licensing and regulation).
22
Section 397.311(25), F.S., defines a “licensed service provider” as a public agency under ch. 397, F.S. (substance abuse
services), a private for-profit or not-for-profit agency under ch. 397, F.S., a physician or any other private practitioner
licensed under ch. 397, F.S., or a hospital that offers substance abuse services through one or more licensed service
components.
23
Section 397.311(26), F.S., provides that licensed service components include a comprehensive continuum of accessible and
quality substance abuse prevention, intervention, and clinical treatment services. Clinical treatment services include, but are
not limited to, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders.
24
Section 397.311(38), F.S., defines “recovery residence” as a residential dwelling unit, the community housing component
of a licensed day or night treatment facility with community housing, or other form of group housing, which is offered or
advertised through any means, including oral, written, electronic, or printed means, by any person or entity as a residence that
provides a peer-supported, alcohol-free, and drug-free living environment.
25
Section 458.3265(1)(a)1.c., F.S., defines a “pain-management clinic” as any publicly or privately owned facility: that
advertises in any medium for any type of pain-management services; or where in any month a majority of patients are
prescribed opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or carisoprodol for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain. Section
459.0137(1)(a)1.c., F.S., includes the same definition of “pain-management clinic.”
26
Generally, a first degree felony is punishable by up to 30 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Sections 775.082
and 775.083, F.S.
BILL: CS/CS/SB 190 Page 6
Section 3 of the bill amends s. 893.145, F.S., to exclude from the definition of “drug
paraphernalia” narcotic drug testing products that are used to determine whether a controlled
substance contains fentanyl or a fentanyl analog.
Section 4 of the bill provides that the bill takes effect October 1, 2022.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
The bill does not appear to require cities and counties to expend funds or limit their
authority to raise revenue or receive state-shared revenues as specified by Article VII,
s. 18, of the Florida Constitution.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.