Drug Abuse

Without question the United States has the biggest drug problem in the world. Tennessee is now charging forth in its struggles to overcome addiction and abuse on many fronts. Just a few weeks ago Tennessee law enforcement officials reported nearly 2,000 meth lab incidents or busts in 2010. Tennessee outpaced Missouri this year that has held the top spot for well over a decade. This is now coupled with an ever mounting prescription drug abuse and addiction problem throughout the state.

Tennessee lawmakers are aggressively pursuing legislation aimed at curbing these devastating societal problems. There are bills constructed to prohibit the sale of cold tablets that contain pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient needed for methamphetamine production. However there is a new “shake and bake” method that has swept the state and is responsible for the record setting incidents last year, and the pace set this year.

This method is rumored created by the chemistry major and does away with the clutter of typical meth labs, and it can turn the back seat of a car or a bathroom stall into a makeshift drug factory. Some addicts have even made the drug while driving. The pills are crushed, combined with some common household chemicals and then shaken in the soda bottle. This action creates a deadly chemical reaction designed to change the molecular structure of the ephedrine while pulling it away from the coagulants that bind the pills.

In 2007, BlueCross BlueShield Insurance Co. named Tennessee the No. 1 state for prescription abuse.  According to reports seven million people admitted using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons that same year. Prescription pain killers are the primary culprit for abuse in Tennessee and are comprised of opioid analgesics which are a high risk for over dose. Prescription drug abuse is the third for most abused drug in the country, behind alcohol and marijuana. Tennessee ranks eighth in the country for prescription drug overdose according to the Office of National Drug Use and Health. 

Law enforcement officials are starting to pursue those who overprescribe, “doctor shop” or illegally sell scheduled prescription drugs. The abuse of prescription controlled substances in Tennessee has become a major concern for local, state, and federal agencies. The criminal diversion of these drugs encompasses everything from prescription fraud by individual addicts to profit motivated traffickers. Violators range from and include healthcare practitioners and patients, pain management clinics, traditional pharmacies, and Internet pharmacies.

Just this week the Obama administration called on doctors, states and law enforcement officials to step up their efforts in taking responsibility and work harder to stop the scourge of abuse. One direction to look in this plight is those that produce these deadly chemicals for profit with wild abandon. All while falsifying studies indicating the deadly addictive qualities that lead to death and devastation.

Some of these drugs have saved lives and are sometimes needed, but far more are manufactured and sold with deceptive marking practices at the peril of people who need help. If those that made money from the sale of these drugs took responsibility for those that have suffered from their effects there would be a drastic change for certain. The fight to curtail Tennessee meth production and prescription drug problem will be paid by its taxpayers with billions of dollars on its price tag. The same people who supported the production of these drugs with their purchases that began over a century ago.

Prescription Drug Abuse: Feb. 9 DeWine on Prescription Drug Abuse 1.mov

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine talks about stepped-up efforts in his office to combat prescription drug abuse:
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Prescription Drug Abuse: Painkillers Are A Gateway To Heroin
This past winter, I found myself following a drug dealer and his crew up the dark stairway of a triple-decker apartment building on the outskirts of Boston. Reaching a unit on the top floor, the young man pulled a gun from his waistband.
Read more on Local 6 Orlando

Prescription Drug Abuse: Painkillers Are A Gateway To Heroin
This past winter, I found myself following a drug dealer and his crew up the dark stairway of a triple-decker apartment building on the outskirts of Boston. Reaching a unit on the top floor, the young man pulled a gun from his waistband.
Read more on KMGH 7 Denver

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