Attorney General Ashley Moody today appointed three Floridians to the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse. Attorney General Moody’s appointees are former-Representative Jim Boyd, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma and CEO of DACCO Behavior Health Mary Lynn Ulrey. Attorney General Moody serves as Chair of the task force established earlier this year through an Executive Order by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “As Chair of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse, I am pleased to announce these three talented Floridians are joining our efforts to aggressively fight the opioid crisis in Florida. The experience they bring to our group will be extremely vital as we work to find effective solutions to address opioid abuse and mitigate the destruction this crisis has caused Florida families and communities.”
To view the Governor’s Executive Order 19-97 establishing the task force, click here.
Florida’s Statewide Task Force on Opioid Drug Abuse will:
- Study the cost of the crisis on state and local governments;
- Identify available programs that have been successful in combating opioid abuse;
- Work to better understand the sources of addiction;
- Explore whether there is need for additional regulatory activity; and, among other things,
- Evaluate and identify ways to reduce the demand for opioids and decrease the supply.
The 21-member task force will also examine if law enforcement would benefit from new training or resources to help equip them to handle opioid users. Ending the opioid crisis in Florida is a top priority of Attorney General Moody. During her first week in office, Attorney General Moody empaneled an Opioid Working Group.
The Opioid Working Group released its final report earlier this year with recommendations to help combat the opioid crisis that is claiming 17 lives a day in Florida. To read the full report, Florida’s Opioid Epidemic: Recommendations and Best Practices, click here.
Additionally, Attorney General Moody continues to aggressively litigate the state’s case against the nation’s largest opioid distributors, manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies for their role in helping fuel the opioid crisis. Attorney General Moody personally appeared in court and advocated expediency necessary for trial in the state’s opioid litigation to hold responsible the nation’s largest opioid distributors, manufacturers and pharmacies.
In April, Attorney General Moody secured a successful ruling denying the defendants’ motions to dismiss the state’s opioid litigation. The litigation remains active and ongoing.
