NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – In the first five months of 2023, Nashville has averaged nearly a dozen suspected drug overdose deaths every week; many of the deaths have involved fentanyl. Starting this week, the Metro Public Health Department will have free fentanyl test strips available in local clinics after a change in state law. The news comes as a relief …

FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. – Days after two teen girls died of suspected overdoses at Fayette-Ware High School, a 17-year-old girl has been charged with their murder, according District Attorney Mark Davidson.  Davidson said that a 17-year-old girl, also a junior at the high school, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of the 16- and …

In a recent study by wallethub.com, Tennessee came in 11th overall for drug use problems, and 3rd in Opioid Overuse, Overdose Deaths and Drug Arrests per Capita. Illicit drug use is an issue the country has been fighting since the 1970s, but the war on drugs is a never-ending battle. New drugs like fentanyl are simply the newest killing machines developed by the …

The U.S. overdose death rate involving fentanyl nearly quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, according to a report published Wednesday. The big picture: The growing fentanyl crisis has spurred state and federal lawmakers to target the trafficking of the synthetic opioid, expand access to opioid overdose antidote Narcan, and decriminalize fentanyl test strips to use as a prevention tool. Read the full article here.

Billboards of adults and children who lost their lives to fentanyl overdose are appearing across Tennessee. According to the CDC over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the United States. In Tennessee the numbers are shocking. Statistics from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reveal fentanyl deaths in the state from 2017 …

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–A Tennessee District Attorney General is sharing information which shows the continued and dangerous growth of fentanyl in our communities. District Attorney Brent Cooper of the 22nd Judicial District shared the staggering statistics on his Facebook page which was compiled by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and the U.S. National Institute of Health. According to the latest data, fentanyl …

Hamilton County saw a record number of suspected drug-related deaths in 2022, with the synthetic opioid fentanyl contributing to 73% of those fatalities, according to a new report from the county health department. Drugs killed an estimated 226 people in the county last year, according to the Hamilton County Health Department’s Drug Overdose Surveillance Report, released Monday. Read the full …

JACKSON, Tenn. — Kevin Ritz was nominated by President Biden in July of last year, and is now the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He has served in this particular position for around six months, but is very familiar with this role. “Public service in in my nature,” Ritz said. “It’s why I wanted to be a prosecutor …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two people are facing charges after more than 25 pounds of drugs, including nine pounds of heroin and fentanyl, were seized from a home where three children were present on Wednesday according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. The drugs were found during a search of a home on the 2900 block of Boyds Bridge Pike …

FRANKLIN COUNTY, TN.–A Tennessee corrections officer had to be issued the overdose drug Narcan after an inmate’s bag of fentanyl blew into the officer’s face. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reports the corrections officer was escorting a woman from the booking area to the general female population, preparing her for a final body check in the women’s restroom. A search …