Second Meeting Of Legislative Task Force On Opioid Abuse Kicks Off At East Tennessee State University

This week at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), the second meeting of the legislative task force on opioid and prescription drug abuse kicked off. House Speaker Beth Harwell helped lead the discussion with stakeholders from across the state who attended the meeting to speak out about Tennessee’s growing drug epidemic.

Dr. Robert Pack, director of the ETSU Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, addressed the current status of the situation locally and stated that ETSU and their partners are looking to make an impact within the eight-county region that makes up northeast Tennessee.

Pack added it was important to look at all options on the table in coming up with solutions to the opioid epidemic in Tennessee and that each individual looking for help is different – needing varying treatment ranging from abstinence programs to certain medication which help break the addiction itself.

In 2015, 1,451 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses, the highest annual number in the state’s history. In addition, the number of babies born who have been chronically exposed to opioids is high, particularly in East Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reports that from 2000 to 2012, the rate of babies born with exposure increased 15 fold.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that prescription opioid abuse has a total economic burden of $78.5 billion per year in the United States. There is an estimated $7.7 billion criminal justice cost across the country.