Senators Nelson and Rubio target "sober home" abuse

As the opioid epidemic continues to destroy lives and families across the country, the criminal abuse that is going on during the recovery phase for addicts is just as bad.

Many “Sober homes” or recovery facilities that are setup to help addicts transition back into society have become nothing more than a breeding ground or accelerant for more drug addiction.

Numerous criminal cases, especially in Florida, have sprouted up against “sober home” owners and operators for their blatant abuse of the system that was designed to help addicts get the help they need.

In some cases, the homes have kept addicts addicted to drugs simply to force them to repeat the detox process so that they have to walk through the “sober” door again.

Florida Senators Marco Rubio (R) and Bill Nelson (D) recently filed the Sober Homes Fraud Detection Act to help identify and prosecute those offenders that prey on the “most vulnerable” members of society.

Nelson tweeted that his legislation is aimed at protecting “folks from fraudulent sober homes & drug treatment centers” so that they can have a clear path to recovery.

“The nation’s opioid epidemic has devastated far too many American families, and the thought of losing a loved one is already frightening enough without having to worry about unscrupulous actors posing as legitimate treatment centers,” Rubio said in a statement. “This bill will target disreputable treatment centers and sober homes that have plagued Florida to ensure wrongdoers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the devastation they have caused too many families.”-Sun-Sentinel