Commissioner Adam Putnam’s Statement Regarding Annual Drugs Identified in Deceases Persons Report, Growing Opioid Epidemic

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued the following statement today after the release of the Florida Medical Examiners Commission’s Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons annual report, which showed a 22 percent increase in drug-related deaths and a 35 percent increase in opioid-related deaths in 2016 compared to 2015:
“Nearly every Floridian has been impacted by substance abuse in one way or another, and the opioid epidemic continues to claim and destroy lives at an exponential rate. Today’s report shows the grave reality of Florida’s opioid epidemic, and I applaud Governor Scott for declaring a state of emergency in response to this crisis and his leadership in proposing aggressive measures to combat opioid abuse.”