Florida lawmakers are advancing legislation, with little push-back so far, that would validate a common myth, perpetuated by law enforcement agencies, regarding the ability of someone to overdose on the powerful opioid fentanyl by simply touching it or absorbing the drug through their skin.
Experts say the actual risk for this is “extremely low.” Nonetheless, a wave of misinformation spread through social media, bolstered by questionable accounts of “overdose” by law enforcement officers, is driving a new proposal in Florida that could enhance criminal penalties for people who use or have fentanyl in their possession.
Legislation filed by Republican legislators in the Florida House (HB 231) and Senate (SB 718) would create a criminal penalty, punishable as a first-degree felony, for adults 18 and older who “expose” a first responder to fentanyl or fentanyl analogues (chemically-similar substances), resulting in serious bodily injury.
Under the Florida legislation, “exposure” to fentanyl is defined as causing the ingestion, inhalation, needlestick injury, or absorption of the drug through the skin or mucous membranes.