State's top jurist takes stand on opioid epidemic

In a rare policy move, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz came out last week with a proclamation that September would be “known within the State Courts System as a month of awareness, training and action regarding opioids, stimulants and substance use disorder treatment and recovery.” Circuit courts “will undertake awareness-raising … by appointed Circuit Champions – judges and court staff designated as local leaders on these matters.” 

In addition, a news release added, “the Office of the State Courts Administrator continues to sponsor a statewide program on such needs.” It said the “opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by increased access to and use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine,” as well as “xylazine, an animal tranquilizer … known for its flesh-eating effects that can require the amputation of limbs.”  

The announcement came as a surprise; judges and justices generally avoid speaking out publicly on such matters. Though not always: in 2014, when he was chief justice, Justice Jorge Labarga spearheaded the creation of the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, to “look into how to fund civil legal help in Florida more reliably for the poor and working poor.” 

And as former Florida Attorney General Richard Doran noted on X, the social media platform that used to be Twitter, Muñiz previously “served as Chief Deputy Attorney General … and was a key actor in that office’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis. I applaud him for this.”