It was cause for alarm when a local elementary teacher was arrested last year for buying Percocet on campus during the middle of a school day.
The drug deal ultimately resulted in three Warren County teachers losing their jobs.
Opioid drugs like Percocet are commanding attention this year in the Tennessee General Assembly as the state tries to harness a drug epidemic that’s claiming victims from all walks of life, from school teachers to business executives.
Each day in Tennessee, an average of more than 3 people die from an opioid-related overdose. That’s more than the number of daily traffic fatalities. The epidemic is so deep-rooted, there are more opioid prescriptions written each year in Tennessee than there are people living in the state.
Fed up with sobering statistics, Gov. Bill Haslam announced a plan of action Monday to help end the devastating cycle of opioid addiction. Called TN Together, the $30 million plan combines prevention, treatment, and increased law enforcement efforts to battle the problem.
“This is a crisis that knows no boundaries and impacts many Tennesseans regardless of race, income, gender or age,” said Haslam. “Our approach will be aggressive with provisions to limit the supply of opioids and significant state and federal dollars to provide treatment to those in need.”
Opioid overdose deaths have soared over the past five years. In 2012, there were 698 opioid deaths in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
In 2015, that number climbed to 1,034 deaths. In 2016, it reached 1,186 deaths, the last year data is available.
One of the first levels of defense in the TN Together plan will be legislation that seeks to limit the supply and dosage of opioid prescriptions. Initial prescriptions will be limited to a five-day supply with daily dosage limits of 40 MME.
There will also be increased law enforcement funding to tackle the illegal trafficking of opioids and an investment of more than $25 million for treatment and recovery services. Increased prevention education will be directed to grades K-12.
Money will also be earmarked to provide every state trooper with naloxone, a drug used for the emergency treatment of an opioid overdose.
Despite previous efforts to stem the opioid problem, Tennessee remains a top 15 state for drug overdose deaths. It was identified by the Centers for Disease Control as one of the states with a statistically significant increase in drug overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015.
