Congressman Cohen Commends Haslam’s Opioid Initiative

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) commended Governor Bill Haslam for making the opioid crisis a top legislative priority this year and for placing the emphasis on prevention and treatment. Cohen made the following statement Tuesday:

"Governor Haslam's ‘TN Together,' a statewide program targeting an opioid crisis that is killing three Tennesseans a day, is a smart move and focuses on the right priorities – prevention and treatment rather than punishment. It's best to treat this crisis compassionately as a public health issue and address it with proven solutions.

"The initiative, using state and federal funds, could end up assisting as many as 10,000 people caught up in addictions to prescription opioids and street drugs like heroin. The plan would limit the supply and dosage of opioid prescriptions, with initial prescriptions limited to a five-day supply. The proposal to provide naloxone to Tennessee State Troopers also makes sense. The drug reverses or blocks the effect of opioids for people who have overdosed.

"Federal money for the plan comes from the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill I was proud to vote for in 2016. I was also a cosponsor of the House version of this legislation. 21st Century Cures was signed into law on December 13, 2016, and I am glad that funding from this important legislation is going to help Tennesseans struggling with opioid addiction."

Haslam's $30 million comprehensive plan, incorporating the recommendations of a bipartisan legislative task force convened last year, would also place recovery specialists in hospital emergency rooms and make naltrexone, a drug that reduces opioid cravings, available to drug courts and county jails. The education component would teach students the dangers of drug addiction. An estimated 300,000 Tennesseans are misusing drugs. More than 1,600 deaths were attributed to overdoses in 2016.