CS/HB 897 (2015) - Controlled Substances

• Amends Florida's controlled substances schedule by adding 180 new hallucinogenic and synthetic drug substances to Schedule I, including synthetic cannabinoids (K2/spice), cathinones (bath salts), NBOMe compounds, and other designer drugs.

• Reenacts multiple Florida statutes referencing the Schedule I list across criminal law, traffic safety, child welfare, workplace drug testing, pain management clinics, and murder statutes to incorporate the new substance definitions.

• Establishes trafficking penalties for phenethylamines (including MDMA) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) with mandatory minimum sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years imprisonment plus significant fines based on quantity thresholds.

• Updates the Criminal Punishment Code's offense severity ranking chart to classify various controlled substance offenses at appropriate felony levels (1st through 3rd degree) based on substance type and circumstances.

• Becomes effective upon signing into law.