The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 03:03 PM
Gov. Haslam Signs "Aggressive" New Bill Hoping To End Opioid Use In Tennessee
The legislation supports the TN Together program, a three-pronged plan Haslam calls comprehensive and aggressive in the fight against opioids. The governor said $30 million will be dedicated toward treatment and law enforcement. It also targets prevention efforts.
“This legislation is a major step in helping fight this epidemic by limiting the supply of opioids and providing resources to provide treatment for those addicted,” Haslam said Friday during a ceremonial bill signing at the Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville.
The bill limits duration and dosage of opioid prescriptions for new patients to three days, but there are exceptions to provide up to 10-day prescriptions if it's for something like major surgical procedures, cancer or hospital treatment, sickle cell disease or if it's treatment administered at a licensed facility. This new restriction makes Tennessee one of the most strict and aggressive in terms of opioid prescriptions in the nation.
"Opioid addition affects the entire state in some form, and with this comprehensive plan I feel confident that we can make a difference in the lives of Tennesseans," Haslam said.
Although it affects the entire state, Haslam said Friday that it's a particularly bad issue in East Tennessee.
"Unfortunately if you look at a map of not just where opioids are prescribed but where babies are born with (neonatal abstinence syndrome), we're way heavier in this side of the state than we are anywhere else," Haslam said. "Whether it's the doctors at (East Tennessee) Children's Hospital or law enforcement people that see it, it's a bigger problem here and we need to admit that and make certain we're dealing with it."
The governor said families and the workforce are affected deeply in East Tennessee and across the state. Haslam said he didn't have an exact number on the cost in terms of things like healthcare and lost economic opportunity, but "it would be a number that blows your mind ... a number in the billions." He also said there's not a single person this crisis doesn't touch.
"Everybody that I know knows somebody that's been affected by this," Haslam said. "I think now's the time to say, 'we actually can do something about it.'"
Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, cosponsored the second bill that deals with law enforcement. It creates incentives for offenders, offering them programs to treat substance abuse while they're incarcerated. It also updates how controlled substances are scheduled to allow for betting tracking, monitoring and penalization for the use and distribution of opioids.
"When I first (got into office), meth was the biggest issue. We changed the laws and put more money into law enforcement around that, and we made a difference," Haslam said. "Unfortunately we just chased people from one bad drug to another, and we don't want to do that here.
"That's why we have all the, not just prescription limits, but treatment and law enforcement as well."
Haslam also issued an executive order that pairs with the new legislation that will establish a special commission. It will investigate pain and addiction medicines and how their administration should be taught in state medical and healthcare practitioner schools. According to a news release, the findings should be released sometime late this summer.
Haslam's 2018-19 state budget also includes more than $16 million to fund opioid treatment and prevention. Although it's his last term in office, he doesn't consider the new legislation a be-all-end-all scenario.
"I don't know that it checks a box for us because it's not mission accomplished, battle won," Haslam said. "It is a big step forward and I think it will make a big difference, but I don't want any of us to kid ourselves that with this legislation we've won the battle; it's just one step forward."
The governor said he'd like to see more dollars go toward treatment, and added that the opioid issue is a priority for all the current gubernatorial candidates.
"I don't think they'll take their foot off the pedal at all on this," Haslam said.
