September is National Recovery Month, and Attorney General Ashley Moody is using the occasion to urge Floridians struggling with addiction to seek treatment. Attorney General Moody took emergency action to outlaw tianeptine—also known as gas station heroin. Breaking an addiction to tianeptine is difficult, but Attorney General Moody fought in court to secure more than $3 billion to for abatement projects in Florida—including addiction counseling. Today in Maimi, at a facility that will receive abatement funds, Attorney General Moody joined treatment counselors and urged those struggling with addiction to seek help.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “As Attorney General, I am doing everything within the power of my position to end the deadly opioid crisis. We’re working with law enforcement to arrest drug traffickers, securing billions of dollars for abatement projects, and banning dangerous substances that fuel addiction like gas station heroin. While these efforts continue, if those struggling with addiction do not seek help, we will never end this crisis. That is why during National Recovery Month, I am urging those struggling to break an addiction to gas station heroin, or any illicit substance, to seek help now.”
More than 110,000 Americans died of a drug overdose last year, mainly due to illicit fentanyl. In the Miami-Dade area, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiners Deaths in Deceased Persons 2022 Interim Report, nearly 600 people died of a drug overdose.
Attorney General Moody fought hard to hold the pharmaceutical companies fueling the opioid crisis accountable and secured more than $3 billion for state abatement efforts over the next 17 years. Thriving Mind, the location of today’s announcement, is one provider that will receive money from the settlement. Thriving Mind is a network of substance abuse and mental health treatment providers in South Florida. More than 121,000 individuals benefited from direct services through Thriving Mind in the last fiscal year.
Attorney General Moody launched the One Pill Can Kill campaign to spread the word that just one use of an illicit substance, or just one pill, laced with fentanyl could be lethal. The tool provides information about the prevalence of illicit fentanyl and other emerging threats, like nitazenes. To learn more, click here.
While illicit fentanyl from Mexico continues to be the driver of overdose deaths nationwide, Attorney General Moody is also fighting to stop emerging threats. Last week, Attorney General Moody outlawed tianeptine, also known as gas station heroin, in the state. Commonly sold as a dietary supplement under the names Pegasus, Tianaa or Zaza Red, tianeptine can mimic the effects of opioids and is available at gas stations, convenience stores and online. Tianeptine is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any medical use and is attributed to five deaths nationwide.
Attorney General Moody launched Dose of Reality Florida to share information about drug misuse and addiction to Floridians. This one-stop resource provides information about receiving support, signs a loved one might be suffering from addiction and where to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs.
Dose of Reality Florida also provides links to treatment resources, such as Treatment Atlas. In 2022, Attorney General Moody helped launch Treatment Atlas in Florida, a free treatment-locater tool designed for Floridians struggling with addiction to find treatment services.
Treatment Atlas provides the opportunity to compare licensed facilities based on location, use of best practices, types of treatment offered, etc., all to benefit the specific needs of an individual wanting to overcome addiction. The searchable database contains information about nearly 500 treatment facilities across Florida alone.
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