Mike Riggs on the Prospect of Criminal Justice Reform in Florida

When national drug-law reformers draw up their election-day game plans, they seldom give second thought to Florida, a state so conservative that co-habitating with someone to whom you are not married is punishable by up to 60 days in jail. Florida's drug laws are some of the most draconian in the nation—possession of 20 grams of marijuana, by no means enough for dealing, can mean a five-year sentence; and possession of eight prescription painkillers can mean 10 or 15 years for a first-time offender. Nor have Republicans in the state legislature shown any interest in locking up fewer minorities or first-time offenders simply for the sake of fairness. That's why national drug reform groups have all but written the state off. But as Associate Editor Mike Riggs reports, conservative grassroots groups may be on the verge of doing what the ACLU and the NAACP have been unable to achieve: Make it so fewer Florida drug users are sent to prison.