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New laws change opioid fight in Tennessee

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios New laws to combat the opioid crisis represent a "game-changer" in Tennessee, according to an addiction recovery expert.The latest legislation makes it easier for residents and advocacy groups to obtain , a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Why it matters: Opioids, particularly the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, continue to drive alarming numbers of overdose deaths in Nashville.Tennessee is among the top five in the country for the rate of overdose deaths. What they're saying: Mary Linden Salter, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services, told local officials was "one of the best things that we've been able to do" to fight deadly overdoses. By the numbers: The Metro Council Public Health and Safety committee last week analyzing opioid trends.There are about 104 suspected overdoses per week in Nashville that require emergency medical response, according to health department data.There were 352 suspected overdose deaths in Nashville during the first half of the year.Fentanyl was detected in more than 75% of those cases, per the health department. The synthetic opioid can be added to counterfeit pills and other drugs without the user's knowledge. Driving the news: There has been a jump in the number of overdose calls where multiple doses of naloxone is needed, suggesting more potent substances are creeping into the local drug supply. State of play: Salter, who spoke at the committee meeting, told the council a raft of new legislation passed this year would likely save lives in the face of those trends.In addition to a law that makes it easier to get naloxone from a pharmacist, legislators approved a law that allows people to get and a law that requires providers to alongside most opioid prescriptions. Former Mayor Megan Barry, whose son Max died of a drug overdose in 2017, returned to the council chamber during the committee meeting last week.In an emotional speech, she urged city leaders and residents to fight the stigma surrounding substance abuse. What she's saying: Barry said she initially chose not to share information about her son's addiction, in part because she wanted to shield him from judgment."If we had treated this like a disease instead of a moral failure I believe Max would still be here today," she told the committee."If only we had known that our shame and guilt was preventing us from a deeper understanding of what was going to happen." Flashback: Barry has become an outspoken voice in the opioid crisis. But her return to the chamber, where she served as an at-large council member for two terms before becoming mayor, was noteworthy.Barry in 2018 as part of a deal with prosecutors after an affair with the head of her security detail became public. If you need information on substance abuse treatment, you can contact the at 800-889-9789. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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