Florida legislators want to ban the state’s most serious sexual predators from using erectile dysfunction drugs, says the Miami Herald. Under the proposal, sexual predators would face criminal charges if caught using or possessing drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. Sen. Carey Baker said the ban would help deter crime and punish predators, just like existing Florida laws that restrict gun ownership and voting by felons after they serve their time. ”It’s like giving alcohol to an alcoholic,” said Baker. “If this helps reduce one crime, then it’s worth it.”
The measure stems from a Florida action last year banning Medicaid recipients from receiving state-paid Viagra, regardless of whether they are sexual offenders. Pharmacists don’t want to be responsible for having to conduct sexual-predator checks on all customers seeking to fill prescriptions for erectile dysfunction drugs. That task, they say, should be left to physicians who prescribe the medicine. If the proposal becomes law, convicted sexual predators found with the drugs will be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor — punishable by a maximum 60-day jail term and a $500 fine.