Budget — $16 million was added to the budget to fight the state’s opioid epidemic, including $10 million for treatment and recovery.
TN Together: Law enforcement & Treatment – Three-pronged plan to combat the opioid epidemic: Law enforcement, treatment and prevention. In the law enforcement and treatment portion, the legislation updates identifications of drugs categorized in Schedules I-V, including the drugs’ analogues and derivatives. • Allows law enforcement to better track, monitor, and penalize the use and unlawful distribution of dangerous and addictive drugs, including substances that mimic the effects of fentanyl. Fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs where the user is not aware of its potency, leading to many overdose deaths. The conference committee amendment makes it an offense for a person to distribute, sell, or offer Kratom to a person under the age of 21. It requires that those who sale Kratom put a warning label on it and sell it in its natural form. • It provides incentives for offenders to complete intensive substance use treatment programs while incarcerated. • Reduces recidivism, saving taxpayer dollars. • Have to fix the drug problem while incarcerated, or else they will be repeat offenders. • At least 3 people a day die in Tennessee from an opioid-related overdose, more than the number of daily traffic fatalities. • Since 1990, the number of opioid-related deaths nationwide has quadrupled.
Senate Bill 2258 / by Norris, Yager, Haile / Status: Public Chapter 1040 / Effective Date: July 1, 2018
