Tennessee is not immune to the problems caused
by drugs. It is estimated that the abuse of drugs and alcohol costs the State
more than three billion dollars annually. It is a primary factor in 60-65
percent of the crime committed in the State. Drug abuse is responsible for
family disruptions and increased health care costs. In short, it is one of
the most critical issues facing the State. The problems of the abuse of
drugs and alcohol do not occur in isolation. There are many other social
forces contributing to their use, among them are teen pregnancies, high school
dropouts, teen suicide, and violent crime. Since 1987 Tennessee has
attempted to deal with problems of drug and alcohol abuse through the Governor's
Alliance For A Drug-Free Tennessee. The Alliance was started by Governor
Ned McWherter to bring the weight of the State into the struggle to deal with
alcohol and drug abuse problems. Prior to 1987 there had been a number of
fragmented approaches to the problem but the Governor wanted to make sure that
the full force of State Government was involved in this war. The Alliance
consolidated a number programs dealing with drug abuse. There Were
at least seventeen different agencies that administered some type of drug abuse
program with very little coordination among them. These programs are now
consolidated under one organization for greater effectiveness. Second, the
Alliance brought the war against drugs to the community level. It is
believed that the question of drug abuse cannot be successfully solved with
government programs alone. Parents, community leaders, business leaders,
and other would have to see it as part of their responsibility as well. What
are some of the accomplishments in this War on Drugs in Tennessee? First,
there has been a 400 percent increase in the amount of money provided by the
State to fight the Drug War. Second, Tennessee led the country in alcohol
related arrests; and was second in the nation when drug related arrests were
added to these statistics. Nevertheless, these efforts at law enforcement
have been mixed blessings. The increased number of drug and alcohol
arrests have placed additional pressure on the correction system leading to
overcrowding in jails and prisons throughout . Third, the State has made
significant efforts to deal with the abuse of prescription drugs. In 1988,
Tennessee had one of the worst records in the country for abuse of prescription
drugs. Under the Alliance, the State has been able to work with the
Prescription Drug Council to prevent some of the diversions of prescription
drugs into illegal channels. Tennessee is now more in line with the rest
of the country when it comes to dealing with prescription drug abuse.
Fourth, the State has opened six new adolescent treatment centers and has
significantly expanded the treatment facilities for adults.
Tennessee has been very successful in getting cooperation among the different
law enforcement entities throughout the State. It no longer suffers the
handicap of an inability of law enforcement agencies to communicate across jurisdictional
lines in dealing with this problem. It has created multi-jurisdictional
drug task forces on several occasions to meet the problem wherever it exists in
Tennessee. Nationally, there is a program of drug interdiction called operation
pipeline which seeks to deal with the transportation of drugs across State
lines. Interstate 40 and 75 are highly used by drug traffickers and Tennessee
has one of the highest interdiction rates in the country.
There has been an effort to increase services in all state agencies
for "high risk youths," or for those young people whose social and economic
backgrounds suggest the probabilities of drug or alcohol abuse unless the State
intervenes into their lives at an early period. There is a "High Risk
Youth Program" in every county in the State. Finally, the State passed the
"Drug Free Youth Act" in 1989. Any person between ages 13 and 17 who is
convicted of an alcohol or drug related offense automatically loses his or her
driver's license for a year; or they will be delayed a year in getting a
driver's license if they do not have one at the time of the offense. The
purpose is to send a strong message to young people that alcohol and drug abuse
will not be tolerated in Tennessee. This is especially important when it
is remembered that alcohol related accidents were the chief killer of Tennessee
teens. This law was designed to give teens "a driving reason to be
drug-free. While there has been a decline in the number of teens
who admit to having experimented with drugs from 55 percent of those surveyed in
1979 to 33 percent of those surveyed in early 1991, there are still too many of
our young people involved in drugs in Tennessee. Perhaps an even greater
problem has been the increase in the number of young people who are addicted to
tobacco and nicotine. Cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana are still
regarded as the "gateway drugs." It is believed that experimentation with any of
these drugs will lead to much more serious drug involvement. The longer
young people can be deterred from experimenting with these "gateway drugs" the
less likely they will become problems. To reach young people an impressive
effort at education has been organized. The Governor has been able to get
money to every school system in the State for drug abuse education. In
1987 each school system in the State was given $1.70 per child. This year,
the State is contributing more than $5.85 per child in the education effort.
