Tennessee Governor, Commissioners announce Strategic Plan To Tackle Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

Nashville, TN – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam joined Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) Commissioner E. Douglas Varney and others today to announce “Prescription for Success,” the state’s plan to prevent and treat prescription drug abuse in Tennessee.

Prescription drug abuse is a pervasive, multi-dimensional issue impacting Tennessee individuals, families, and communities. Of the 4,850,000 adults in Tennessee, it is estimated that nearly 5 percent (about 221,000) have used pain relievers, also known as prescription opioids, in the past year for non-medical purposes. Of those, it is estimated that 69,100 are addicted to prescription opioids and require treatment for prescription opioid abuse.

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Tennessee launches additional efforts in 2013 to reduce the number of Drug-Dependent Newborns

Nashville, TN – In 2013, 921 newborns in Tennessee experienced withdrawal from drugs their mothers used while pregnant.

Many people across Tennessee, including a group of state leaders, are working to reduce that number and in the past year launched several efforts to help prevent the suffering and expenses associated with the condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.

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