ICYMI: 3 New Florida Laws Go Into Effect Jan. 1, 2017

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Kids under the age of 18 will be banned from buying certain types of over-the-counter cough syrup when the New Year arrives. That’s one of three new laws that will hit the books in Florida on Jan. 1, 2017.

The cough syrup law is one of the last three bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott following the 2016 legislative session. All told, Florida lawmakers sent 272 bills to Scott’s desk this year. The governor signed all but three. The majority of bills approved in the session went into effect on July 1, Oct. 1 or right after Scott inked the documents.

The cough syrup bill is designed to keep medications that contain dextromethorphan out of the hands of people under the age of 18. That ingredient is found in many common cough syrups, including NyQuil and Robitussin. The problem with it, according to the new law, is that it provides a way for kids to get intoxicated.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says that dextromethorphan, or DXM for short, is found in more than 120 different over-the-counter medications. The “illicit use of DXM is referred to on the street as ‘Robo-tripping’ or ‘skittling,’” the agency said in a report on the drug. “DXM is often abused in high doses by adolescents to generate euphoria and visual and auditory hallucinations.”

People who look younger than 25 will have to produce identification to purchase DXM-containing cough syrup in Florida starting Jan. 1. Stores won’t be required to keep the items under lock and key though.

The second bill that hits the books relates to opioid insurance coverage. The law stops insurance companies that cover opioid medications from requiring prior authorizations for patients to obtain versions of the medications that are designed to deter addiction.

The final bill enables financial institutions to designate where summonses and subpoenas can be delivered.

Texts of the bills are available on the Florida Senate website:

• Kids and cough syrup: SB 938
• Insurance coverage of opioids: SB 422
• Financial institution documents: SB 1104

The 2017 Florida Legislative Session kicks off in March. Two bills already being floated take aim at texting and driving. One seeks to make texting behind the wheel a primary offense. The other targets underage drivers who text.

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