Three new Florida laws

Bills Scott signed took effect Sunday

A statewide prohibition on people younger than 18 buying certain over-the-counter cough suppressants is one of three new laws that hit the books with the arrival of the New Year.

The other changes to state laws involve insurance policy coverage of opioid medications and how financial institutions may receive summonses and subpoenas.

The three are the last of the bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott from the 2016 legislative session to take effect. Lawmakers sent 272 bills to Scott, who vetoed three and signed the rest.

The majority of the new laws, including the state’s annual budget, went into effect July 1, on Oct. 1 or immediately upon receiving Scott’s signature.

The Jan. 1 laws are: Cough medicines: SB 938 the sale of cough medicines containing the synthetically produced dextromethorphan to people younger than 18 and requires identification from those presumed to be younger than 25.

Dextromethorphan is found in many cough medicines, including Robitussin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tylenol Cough & Cold and Vicks NyQuil.

The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, RFort Myers, and former Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, was proposed after reports of teenagers using cough medicine to get cheap highs. Broxson has since been elected to the Senate.

Side effects of such intoxication, according to a Senate staff analysis, include loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension and involuntary spasmodic movement of the eyeballs.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported six deaths in 2014 related to dexprohibits