Getting to the Root of Opioid Abuse
Sgt. Thomas Garrison of the Johnson City Police Department estimates 90 percent of all crime can be traced back to drugs. Though the state of Tennessee has taken steps to quell our opioid crisis by setting prescription limits and increasing regulation, overdoses continue to rise. We are failing to solve the problem because we are trying to cut it off at the head rather than the root. Our tax dollars would be better spent on the front end with prevention. The problem is worsen
Parents Looking for Help with Kids Using Drugs Get a Hotline and Maybe a Coach
Parents across the state struggling to help a child with a substance abuse problem have a new resource that can connect them with someone who has been in a similar situation. There's a hotline from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids that can connect parents, or other caretakers of children up to age 30, to other parents who have dealt children with substance abuse issues. There's a need for parent support networks because of Tennessee's "mature" opioid abuse problem, said Mar
New Drugs, Prevention, but HIV Continues
Knoxville News Sentinel USA TODAY NETWORK TENNESSEE When Jeff Simmons, now 52, was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1991, the virus was still a death sentence for many — and he went to severalfriends’ funerals. As he makes plans for World AIDS Day, Simmons has lived to see big changes in treatment and management of HIV, though not without scars. Early on, he battled the virus with the drug AZT (zidovudine), infamous because it had to be taken every four hours to minimize the chance
Getting to the Root of Opioid Abuse
Sgt. Thomas Garrison of the Johnson City Police Department estimates 90 percent of all crime can be traced back to drugs. Though the state of Tennessee has taken steps to quell our opioid crisis by setting prescription limits and increasing regulation, overdoses continue to rise. We are failing to solve the problem because we are trying to cut it off at the head rather than the root. Our tax dollars would be better spent on the front end with prevention. The problem is worsen
Sessions Says He Supports New Legislation to Strengthen DEA Enforcement
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday that he had been“dubious” of a 2016 law that effectively took away the Drug Enforcement Administration’s most potent weapons against distributors and manufacturers of prescription opioids and he would support new legislation to expand the agency’s arsenal. At a news conference at the Justice Department, Sessions said that the DEA faced more challenges than it would have “had the law not passed” and that he would support a new law
Narcan Training in Anderson County, by ASAP of Anderson
Anderson County law enforcement agencies received #Narcan and training today. Thanks to Clinton Police Department, Norris PD, Oliver Springs Police Department, Rocky Top Police Department, 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force, and ACSO for attending! Tune in to WBIR Channel 10 this evening to hear more. Click Here for Photos
Vanderbilt Pain Specialist Lost Brother to Possible Drug Overdose, Now Helps Others
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Dr. Dan Lonergan says relapse is the biggest risk for patients recovering from opioid addiction. The drugs work by attaching to chemical receptors in the brain and sending signals that block pain and create pleasurable feelings. Repeated use can lead to drug tolerance, meaning increasingly high doses are needed to produce the same effect. In recovery, patients lose that tolerance so resuming the drugs can be fatal. Addiction medicine — buprenorphine an
Students Raise Awareness about Addiction
The problem of addiction is getting attention from students at Tennessee Tech in the form of a potential new organization. Students in sociology professor Lachelle Norris's social movements class decided this semester to focus on the problem of addiction, specifically opiate addiction. "We wanted to raise awareness, that it's a problem," said student Olivia Gallagher. "That there's a place for people to go, that they're not alone in this." They decided to form a group, Tennes
Marine Veteran Sues VA Medical Center, Congressman Phil Roe over Opioid Tapering Policy
A Washington County man who said he endures constant pain from training injuries he suffered while serving as a Marine filed a lawsuit earlier this month over a forced opioid tapering policy that eliminates or severely reduces veterans’ access to the pain medication. Robert D. Rose Jr., of Gray, was a Marine sergeant when he left the service because of documented injuries he suffered during jump training. Rose made a public protest statement in July when he turned his back on
Knoxville Family Shares Son's Story After He Overdosed on Heroin
Reagan Craddock, 18, was two days away from graduation when he lost his life to a heroin overdose. He was a brother, a friend to many and he was the only son to George and Kim Craddock. "When you lose your son, you lose all those dreams that die with him and hopes. It's hard to imagine life without him," Kim said. Reagan was smart, driven and had dreams of becoming a therapist, but like most teenagers, he had anxiety. "We felt like he was a normal teen, going through some stu