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Press Release - 07/02/2002

Treatment Initiative Sponsors Will Sue to Force Savings Note onto Ballot

Independent Analysis Projected $55 Million in Annual Savings, but Estimates Were Ignored in Drafting ‘Indeterminate’ Label

MIAMI, July 2 – Unsatisfied with the Florida Revenue Estimating Commission’s production of a neutral fiscal-impact statement last week, the sponsors of the Florida Drug Treatment Initiative have decided to sue to force their initiative’s ballot statement to reflect net savings to the state.

Sydney Smith, a Miami attorney and co-author of the initiative, said, “The politicized process of drafting fiscal impact statements is an outrage. Government analysts proved that our ballot measure would save Florida at least $55 million dollars a year. This conclusion was then papered over with namby-pamby ballot language saying the impact is unknown.”

Court OKs ballot drive

Drug-treatment push set for 2004

Associated Press, Friday, May 17, 2002


by Jackie Hallifax

The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a proposal to let some drug offenders avoid jail by entering treatment programs can go on the ballot, but it won't happen until 2004.

A month ago, the Florida Campaign for New Drug Policies said it was giving up its push to make the November ballot because the high court had not yet ruled on its proposed constitutional amendment.

News Item - Posted 05/17/2002

Press Release - 05/16/2002

Drug Treatment Initiative Approved by Fla. Supreme Court; 2004 Campaign Likely

TALLAHASSEE, May 16 — With a 4-3 decision, the Florida Supreme Court today gave ballot approval to a groundbreaking citizen initiative to provide drug treatment instead of jail time for nonviolent offenders.

Dave Fratello, political director of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, sponsors of the Florida Drug Treatment Initiative, said, “This is a victory for everyone who sees the failure and hypocrisy of Florida’s drug laws.”

Fratello continued, “When the governor’s daughter gets treatment and more than 10,000 other Floridians are sentenced to jail and prison each year for similar nonviolent drug offenses, there is a problem. All the sweet talk in the world can’t hide the fact that Florida is failing its citizens with an outdated drug policy. As long as the Bush administration keeps slashing treatment budgets and jailing nonviolent drug users, this initiative will remain popular and necessary.”

Drug Treatment Plan May Be Back

Florida Today, April 26, 2002


by Tony Manolatos

A controversial proposal to allow some of Florida's nonviolent drug offenders to receive treatment instead of jail time is dead for now, but look for it to return with renewed vigor in 2004.

News Item - Posted 04/26/2002

Florida slashing care for drug addicts

Cuts affect Dade, Broward, prisons

Miami Herald, Sunday, January 27, 2002

by Carol Marbin Miller

In a state where nearly a third of all crimes are drug-related, the Department of Corrections has approved a budget cut that will eliminate the bulk of drug treatment among inmates and greatly reduce the state's program to help drug addicts outside the prison system.

The cuts -- expected to save Florida taxpayers $13 million this fiscal year -- will eliminate in-house drug treatment programs at all but four of Florida's 55 major prisons, said Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the Corrections Department in Tallahassee.

News Item - Posted 01/27/2002

The Office of Economic and Demographic Research has produced an indepth estimate of the impact of this initiative. By transferring thousands of offenders from the criminal justice system to treatment programs, this measure would save Florida at least $55 million per year, with greater savings over the longer term as savings on incarceration mount. Click here to download the analysis (PDF).