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Candidates to be Tennessee's next governor agree on the seriousness of the opioid epidemic and that the state needs a more aggressive response. But there is some conflict on how to attack a pervasive drug problem.
Each candidate has been gathering personal anecdotes showing the reach of the drug problem while traveling the state. But Franklin businessman Bill Lee says he doesn't have to look any farther than his own family which has mourned the loss of a member to overdose. At a candidate forum on Friday focused on health issues, he said that personal experience and his work in a prison ministry informs his views.
"The fundamental reason for addiction is trauma in a person's life," he said. "And the vast majority of opioid addicts are not addicted because they had physical pain that they needed to take care of. It's because they had trauma in their life that addiction resolves — at least medicates — for some period of time."
Lee said he wants to see the state lean more heavily on nonprofits and faith groups.
Former state senator Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet applauds the work of religious organizations that encourage people to quit cold turkey. She said she's asking herself whether weaning people off opioids with lower-dose medication is really helping — even though it is the accepted standard of care.
"You don't help people get off of drugs by giving them Suboxone or methadone," the program's leaders told her. "That just keeps them addicted."
Other candidates are talking more about what the government can do.
Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd wants to appoint a "chief epidemic officer" who would focus on opioids every day and coordinate the state's response. He's releaseda 10-point plan. House Speaker Beth Harwell is pushing to spend heavily on rehab and drug courts as a way to avoid spending $100,000 a year to incarcerate someone.
"I know rehabilitation is expensive, but a bed in rehabilitation costs us about $40,000 a year. That's going to save you money as taxpayers," Harwell said.
She's also joining Governor Bill Haslam Monday to announce a broad plan that is expected to include limits on how much physicians can prescribe and money for 10 new TBI officers.
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said the state needs an awareness campaign similar to those for drunk driving and smoking. And House Democratic leader Craig Fitzhugh argued expanding Medicaid to cover more of the working poor would be a good start since the health insurance would pay for drug treatment.
"That would be the quickest, fastest way to begin our opioid program," he said.
U.S. Congressman Diane Black of Gallatin did not attend Friday's forum hosted by Healthy Tennessee and Lipscomb University because of the looming government shutdown in Washington, D.C.
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