STORAGE NAME: h0259.HSS
DATE: 3/3/2025
1
FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BILL ANALYSIS
This bill analysis was prepared by nonpartisan committee staff and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
BILL #: HB 259
TITLE: Special Observances
SPONSOR(S): Gerwig
COMPANION BILL: SB 214 (Polsky)
LINKED BILLS: None
RELATED BILLS: SB 214 (Polsky)
Committee References
Human Services
Government Operations
Health & Human Services
SUMMARY
Effect of the Bill:
The bill designates August 21 of each year as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day to increase awareness of the
dangers of fentanyl and the potential for overdoses.
Fiscal or Economic Impact:
The bill will have an indeterminate negative fiscal impact on the Department of Health and no fiscal impact on local
government.
JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
ANALYSIS
EFFECT OF THE BILL:
Chapter 683, Florida Statutes recognizes legal holidays and special observance days in Florida. Current law, does
not recognize a special observance day for fentanyl awareness. The bill designates August 21 of each year as
Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day to increase awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and the potential for
overdoses. The bill encourages the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Children and Families (DCF),
local governments, public schools, and other agencies to sponsor events to promote awareness of the dangers of
fentanyl and potential overdoses, including, but not limited to, education on the prevention of fentanyl abuse and
addiction; the availability of local school and community resources for drug prevention and any processes involved
in accessing those resources; and health issues, including information about substance use and abuse, specifically
youth substance use and abuse.
FISCAL OR ECONOMIC IMPACT:
STATE GOVERNMENT:
The bill will have an indeterminate negative fiscal impact on DOH. DOH will incur minimal costs associated with
hosting events recognizing Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day. The agency anticipates that these costs may be
absorbed within existing agency resources.
RELEVANT INFORMATION
SUBJECT OVERVIEW:
JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
2
Opioids
Opioids are psychoactive substances derived from the opium poppy, or their synthetic analogues.
1 Opioids are
highly effective pain relievers, and as such are commonly used to treat acute and chronic pain. An individual
experiences pain because of a series of electrical and chemical exchanges across the individual’s peripheral nerves,
spinal cord, and brain.
2 Opioid receptors occur naturally and are distributed widely throughout the central nervous
system and in peripheral sensory and autonomic nerves and modulate the body’s perception of pain.
3 Opioids
function by binding to specific opioid receptors in the brain and body that are associated with pain. When opioids
attach to these receptors, they block pain signals sent from the brain to the body and release large amounts for
dopamine throughout the body.
4
Opioids include prescription medications prescribed to treat pain as well as illegal drugs with no sanctioned
medical use.
5 Opioids include:
6
Fentanyl
Oxycodone
Oxymorphone
Hydrocodone
Hydromorphone
Morphine
Codeine
Methadone
Tramadol
Buprenorphine
In addition to relieving pain, opioids also create feelings of euphoria – or high – as these drugs also activate the
regions of the brain involved with pleasure and reward.
7 Opioids are generally safe when taken for a short time
and as prescribed by a doctor. However, because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief, individuals who
use opioids are at an increased risk for potential misuse and opioid use disorders.
8 Regular use of opioids, even as
prescribed by a doctor, may cause an individual to develop a tolerance to the drug, a physical dependence on it, and
ultimately, succumb to an opioid use disorder. This condition can have grave consequences, including a heightened
risk of overdose and even death.
Fentanyl
1 World Health Organization, Opioid Overdose. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose (last
visited February 28, 2025).
2 Medical News Today, What is pain, and how do you treat it? (2020). Available at
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145750#:~:text=People%20feel%20pain%20when%20specific,immediate%20contraction
%20of%20the%20muscles (last visited February 28, 2025).
3 Henriksen, G. & Willoch, F., Imaging of Opioid Receptors in the Central Nervous System (2008). Brain 131 (5): 1171-1196.
doi: 10.1093/brain/awm255
4 Id. Also see Cumberland County North Carolina, Opioids FAQ, available at https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/public-
health-group/public-health/community-services/c-fort-(opioid-response)/about-opiods, (last visited February 28, 2025).
5 Opioids legally prescribed to treat pain include morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, hydromorphone, and
buprenorphine. Heroine is an example of an illicit opioid with no sanctioned medical use. See, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Toolkit: Facts for Community Members
(2018). Available at https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma18-4742.pdf (last visited February 28, 2025).
6 John Hopkins Medicine, Opioids, available at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-
therapies/opioids#:~:text=All%20opioids%20work%20similarly%3A%20They,the%20brain%20and%20the%20body., (last visited
February 28, 2025).
7 National Institute on Drug Abuse, How Do Opioids Affect the Brain and Body?, (June 2020), available at
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/how-do-opioids-affect-brain-body (last visited
February 28, 2025).
8 Id. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
3
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid analgesic that is approximately 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 50
times more potent than heroin.
9 Although fentanyl is a prescription drug, it is also made and used illegally. When
prescribed by a physician, fentanyl is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after
surgery and is administered via injection, transdermal patch, or in lozenges.
10 Fentanyl may also be used to treat
patients with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other opioids.
11 Fentanyl works in the same manner as
other opioids to relieve pain and has the similar risk and potential for misuse, overdose and addiction. However,
most fentanyl overdoses and related deaths are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
12
Fentanyl Overdose
Opioids are the most lethal group of drugs; worldwide they account for two thirds of all deaths relating to drug use,
most of which are the result of overdoses
13 There were 107,543 deaths in the U.S. from drug overdoses in 2023.
Fentanyl accounted for 70 percent of these deaths.
14
An overabundance of opioids, such as fentanyl, in the body can lead to a fatal overdose. The opioid receptors that
are located in major pain pathways, thus enabling opioids to alleviate the sensation of pain, are also found in the
respiratory control centers of the brain.
15 Opioids disrupt the transmission of signals for respiration in the identical
manner as they disrupt the transmission of pain signals. This leads to a reduction, and possible cessation, of an
individual’s respiration. Oxygen starvation will eventually stop vital organs like the heart and brain and can lead to
the loss of consciousness, coma, and possible death.
16 Within 3-5 minutes without oxygen, brain damage starts to
occur, soon followed by death.
17 However, a person’s breathing will commonly slow gradually over time and
breathing may not stop until minutes to hours after the drug or drugs were used.
18 An opioid overdose can be
identified by a combination of three signs and symptoms referred to as the “opioid overdose triad”:
19pinpoint
pupils, unconsciousness; and respiratory depression. Opioid overdose and death have increased significantly over
the last three decades. The graphs below demonstrate the total number of U.S. overdose deaths involving
prescription opioids and any opioids
20 from 1999 to 2022.
21
9 United Stated Drug Enforcement Administration, Fentanyl, available at https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl, and National Institute on
Drug Abuse, Fentanyl, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl (last visited February 28, 2025).
10 Id.
11 Tolerance occurs when you need a higher and/or more frequent amount of a drug to get the desired effects. National Institute on Drug
Abuse, How Do Opioids Affect the Brain and Body?, (June 2020), available at http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/how-do-opioids-affect-brain-body (last visited February 28, 2025).
12 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Increases in Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths-Florida and Ohio, 2013-2015,
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6533a3.htm (last visited February 28, 2025).
13 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2022, Global Overview: Drug Demand and Drug Supply (2022). Available at
https://www.unodc.org/res/wdr2022/MS/WDR22_Booklet_1.pdf (last visited February 28, 2025).
14 Clean Slate Outpatient Addiction Medicine, National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day 2024: A Call to Action, available at
https://www.cleanslatecenters.com/blog/national-fentanyl-awareness-and-prevention-day-2024, (last visited February 28, 2025).
15 Pattinson, K.T.S., Opioids and the Control of Respiration, BJA, Vol. 100, Issue 6, Pages 747-758, available at
https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aen094. (last visited February 28, 2025).
16 Harm Reduction Coalition, Guide to Developing and Managing Overdose Prevention and Take-Home Naloxone Projects, (Aug. 31, 2020),
available at https://harmreduction.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Resource-OverdosePrevention-
GuidetoDevelopingandManagingOverdosePreventionandTakeHomeNaloxoneProjects.pdf, (last visited February 28, 2025).
17 Id.
18 Id.
19 World Health Organization, Opioid Overdose, available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose (last visited
February 28, 2025).
20 Any opioid includes prescription opioids (natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone), heroin and synthetic opioids other than
methadone (primarily fentanyl).
21 National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures, JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
4
JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
5
Since fentanyl is significantly stronger than other opioids, there is an increased risk of overdose and death. Doses
as small as two milligrams can be lethal.
22 Data collected by Florida medical examiners reflected that in 2023 there
were 7,235 opioid-related deaths in Florida.
23 The opioids were identified as either the cause of death or merely
present at the time of death. Of those deaths, 5,476 were identified as being caused by opioids and 4,962 were
caused by fentanyl.
24
Opioid overdoses may be treated by opioid antagonist medications, such as naloxone, to block the effects of
opioids. Naloxone, is approved by the Federal Drug Administration to quickly reverse the effects of opioids. As an
opioid antagonist, it works by attaching to opioid receptors to reverse and block the effect of opioids. In the case of
an opioid overdose, an antagonist is capable of restoring normal breathing in someone whose breathing has
slowed dramatically or even stopped because of the overdose.
25 Naloxone comes in two forms, injectable and
prepackaged nasal spray.
Revive Awareness Day
In 2024, the Legislature created “Victoria’s Law,” which designates June 6 of each year as “Revive Awareness Day”
and encourages the Department of Health to hold events to raise awareness of the dangers of opioid overdose and
the availability and safe use of opioid antagonists.
26 Several Florida counties held events for Revive Awareness Day
throughout the state in 2024, including Duval,
27 Hillsborough,
28 Marion,
29 Miami-Dade,
30 Okaloosa,
31 Osceola,
32 St.
Johns,
33 and Seminole
34 counties.
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day
22
USA Facts, Are Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Rising in the US?, available at https://usafacts.org/articles/are-fentanyl-overdose-
deaths-rising-in-the-us/, (last visited February 28, 2025).
23
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons by Florida Medical Examiners, available at
https://www.myfloridalegal.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/2023-drugs-in-deceased-annual-report.pdf, (last visited
February 28, 2025).
24
Id.
25
National Institute on Drug Abuse, Naloxone Drug Facts (Jan. 2022), https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone,
(last visited February 28, 2025).
26 House Bill 89, Ch. 2024-67, L.O.F. The bill was named for Victoria Segal, who died of an accidental opioid over dose. Following her death,
Victoria’s parents, Jackie and David Siegal, established the Victoria’s Voice Foundation which is dedicated to providing drug prevention
education and raising awareness of the availability and safe use of opioid antagonists in order to support those affected by substance use.
For more information, see the Victoria’s Voice Foundation website. Available at https://victoriasvoice.foundation/ (last visited February 28,
2025).
27 Florida Health Duval County, Revive Awareness Day Event, available at https://duval.floridahealth.gov/events/2024/06/revive-
awareness-day-event-06062024.html, (last visited February 28, 2025).
28 Health News Florida, On Florida's inaugural Revive Awareness Day, Free Narcan and Overdose Awareness, available at
https://health.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2024-06-07/health-departments-distribute-narcan-on-revive-awareness-day, (last visited
February 28, 2025).
29 Florida Health Marion County, DOH-Marion to Host Revive Awareness Day Event, available at
https://marion.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2024/06/Revive-Awareness-Day.html, (last visited February 28, 2025).
30 Florida Health Miami-Dade County, DOH-Miami-Dade Observes Revive Awareness Day Event, available at
https://miamidade.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2024/06/2024-06-06-RAD-Observance-PR-
MDade.html#:~:text=Miami%2C%20Fla.,at%20305%2D324%2D2400.&text=1350%20NW%2014th%20St.&text=18255%20Homestead%
20Ave.&text=All%20Floridians%20need%20to%20know,Limp%20body, (last visited February 28, 2025).
31 Get the Coast, Okaloosa County to host Revive Awareness Day event, announce new opioid epidemic efforts (June 4, 2024) available at
https://www.getthecoast.com/okaloosa-county-to-host-revive-awareness-day-event-announce-new-opioid-epidemic-efforts/, (last visited
February 28, 2025).
32 Florida Health Osceola County, Revive Awareness Day Event, available at (last visited February 28,
2025).https://osceola.floridahealth.gov/events/2024/05/revive-awareness-day.html,
33
33 Florida Health St. Johns County, DOH-St. Johns County to Host Revive Awareness Day Event, available at
https://stjohns.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2024/06/2024-6-6-revive-awareness-day-pr.html, (last visited February 28, 2025).
34 Orlando News, Seminole County Continues Fight Against Opioid Crisis. June 6 marks ‘Revive Awareness Day,’ available at
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/06/06/seminole-county-continues-fight-against-opioid-crisis-heres-how/, (last visited
February 28, 2025). JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
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August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
35 The day was established in 2022 as a day of
coordinated response from organizations and those impacted by fentanyl overdose to raise public awareness of the
dangers of illegally made fentanyl and to prevent overdose deaths. The goals of National Fentanyl Prevention and
Awareness Day are to:
Remember loved ones lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl.
Acknowledge the devastation of affected families and friends.
Acknowledge the growing role illegally made fentanyl plays in the overdose crisis.
Educate and raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally made fentanyl and the importance of
overdose prevention.
36
RECENT LEGISLATION:
YEAR BILL # HOUSE SPONSOR(S) SENATE SPONSOR OTHER INFORMATION
2024 CS/HB 89 Plakon Brodeur Became law on April 8, 2024.
BILL HISTORY
COMMITTEE REFERENCE ACTION DATE
STAFF
DIRECTOR/
POLICY CHIEF
ANALYSIS
PREPARED BY
Human Services Subcommittee Mitz Curry
Government Operations
Subcommittee
Health & Human Services
Committee
35 Center for Disease Control, Overdose Prevention, National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day Toolkit, available at
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/php/toolkits/fentanyl-prevention-awareness-
day.html#:~:text=August%2021%20marks%20National%20Fentanyl,made%20fentanyl%20and%20save%20lives ., (last visited February
28, 2025).
36 Id.