Tennessee is a state that runs the gamut from the music industry in Nashville to deep forests covering the Appalachians. It has the image of never having fully departed from its frontier roots. But the original settlers in Tennessee could never have predicted the struggle with illicit drugs that is going on in the state these days, particularly related to prescription drug abuse.
For the first time, the majority of Tennessee law enforcement agencies consider prescription drug diversion and abuse to constitute the greatest threat to the state. At the same time, local methamphetamine production is once again on the rise as is local cultivation of marijuana. All these factors – plus crack cocaine production in cities – conspire to send thousands of Tennesseans to drug rehab for addiction problems.
Prescription Opiates are the Primary Problem In Tennessee
From Tennessee, those intent on abusing prescription drugs commit fraud in the form of visiting multiple doctors to complain of non-existent injuries, get on planes or drive to Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, North and South Carolina or Virginia (where there are clinics freely dispensing millions of pills), forge prescriptions or steal medication.
The increase in dosage units seized is evidence of the increase in abuse: In 2009, 27,329 dosage units (du) of hydrocodone and oxycodone were seized in the Appalachian region (parts of Tennessee and Kentucky and a small area in West Virginia). In 2010, the number increased 135% to 64,275 du.
Higher levels of prescription drug trafficking and abuse are, of course, sending more people to drug rehabs in Tennessee and in other states for treatment. Admissions in the Appalachian region increased 86% between 2005 and 2010.
Other Types of Illicit Drug Production and Trafficking In Tennessee
The two drugs most often manufactured within the state are methamphetamine and marijuana. As in most states, meth production dropped dramatically when the sale of cold medications started being restricted several years before. The next thing that happened was that Mexico’s supplies of the precursor chemical pseudoephedrine were also locked down and Mexican manufacturers began using a different, lower quality, precursor. Suddenly, domestic production began to be a more attractive prospect once again.
Meth cooks rounded up teams of addicts and sent them out on the road to “smurf” – drive from drugstore to drugstore, with each person buying the legal limit of cold medicine. The same process has recently started to be used to acquire prescription opiates to peddle. Law enforcement agencies are now finding cars full of drug addicts, bags of prescription pills and written records of their motel, gas and medication costs while on the road, Cars pulled over on Interstate 75 may yield 200-300 doses of prescription drugs, usually opiates like Vicodin, Lortab or OxyContin. Since one 80 milligram OxyContin pill can sell for $80, smurfing prescription opiates can be a profitable business.
Marijuana growers have begun to change their planting methods to reduce detection and eradication. Law enforcement personnel now find smaller plots hidden under the canopies of forests. Growers are willing to sacrifice some of their yield so they can hide their product and reduce their risk of being located from the air.
Drug Abuse Contributes Greatly to Property and Violent Crime
Prescription drugs that are most often associated with both property crime and violent crime, but all illicit drug use drives crime to a greater or lesser degree. High levels of unemployment and poverty drive people in the direction of illicit substances. The pattern can be either abuse or addiction, meaning that the person may turn to crime to be able to finance their addiction, or to manufacture and sales. For example, in 2007, there were 147 meth labs seized but by 2010, the number had climbed to 310.
Addictive Drugs Land More than 10,000 in Rehab Each Year
Every year, more than half a million people in Tennessee abuse marijuana; another 300,000 abuse prescription drugs; more than 100,000 use cocaine in one of its forms. These people and people who routinely abuse alcohol may need to find rehab before they can achieve a sober life.
But in 2009, only 10,244 people found a drug rehab facility to help them, meaning that many tens of thousands of Tennesseans did not get help. In most these cases, drug or alcohol abuse would continue. The top drugs sending people to drug rehab Tennessee were marijuana and prescription opiates, followed by alcohol or alcohol with a secondary drug.
Even when some people find drug rehab in Tennessee, some of these services simply prescribe methadone or buprenorphine as treatment – both these drugs are addictive and have abuse potential – instead of helping people find sobriety. This form of drug rehab in Tennessee only results in people remaining chained to these drugs of treatment. There simply needs to be more and more effective drug rehab Tennessee to enable more people to fully recover from addiction.
Many People Have Chosen Narconon Arrowhead to Help with Tennessee Drug Rehab
Since Narconon Arrowhead opened its doors in Southeastern Oklahoma, many Tennesseans have chosen this long-term residential facility to bring about sobriety for themselves or a loved one. In fact, people come from all over the United States for this unique and effective program. Compared to the 16% to 20% success rate of most rehab programs, the Narconon program helps seven out of ten graduates learn how to build a lasting drug-free life.
When you seek Tennessee drug rehab, find out how this holistic, drug-free program can help you find success. Call 1-800-468-6933 today to get the whole story on the Narconon method of bringing about addiction recovery.
References:
http://oas.samhsa.gov/metro/Nashville/508PDF_Nashville.pdf
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10Results/Web/PDFW/2k10Results.pdf
http://www.justice.gov/ndic/dmas/Appalachia_DMA-2011(U).pdf
http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/quicklink/TN09.htm
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